Immersion, Star Talks, and First Auditions: Film Institute Welcomes Prospective Students

© Daniil Titorov

A large-scale open day for prospective applicants to the HSE Film Institute took place at the HSE Cultural Centre. The event was structured in full accordance with the laws of dramaturgy, and the guests became not merely spectators, but active participants in the acting process.

The Film Institute devised an unusual format for the event so that every applicant could ask all their questions of teachers, programme heads, students, and professionals who have long been working on major film projects. The open day programme consisted of five acts, guiding the guests from their first encounter with the atmosphere of the Film Institute to their initial professional trials.

Act I: Immersion. Here, applicants moved through interactive zones, took photographs, and received their first consultations on degree programmes and learning pathways.

Act II: Introduction. The Director of the Film Institute, Alexander Akopov, shared important insights into creative professions with the guests.

Act III: Dialogue with the industry (Star Talk). Actresses Anna Snatkina and Elizaveta Ishchenko spoke about their journey into cinema and answered questions from prospective students.

Act IV: Choosing a path. As part of the presentation of the bachelor’s programmes Drama and Film Acting and Film and Television Production, the speakers discussed the structure of study, portfolio requirements, examination stages, and potential pitfalls.

Act V: First auditions. Participants were invited to take part in the workshops ‘Are You Ready for the Role?’ and ‘The Actor Speaks.’ Anyone who wished could step onto the stage and try their hand at acting.

Alexander Akopov

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‘The Film Institute is already four years old,’ said Alexander Akopov. ‘We have two major tracks: Film and Television Production, where we train screenwriters, directors, and producers, and Drama and Film Acting. The former is what all cinema rests on—a kind of framework for the industry—but it is actors whom people remember, because through their very being they express the ideas that have been embedded in the film.’

Alexander Akopov noted that these professions are fascinating and creative, but also extremely risky. ‘Unlike thousands of other professions where you can be guaranteed a job from your first day until retirement, everything here depends on talent and luck. We try to add one more component to this—professional training, which increases the chances of future success,’ he explained. Equally important in this field, in his view, are useful connections. ‘It matters greatly that people know you, because groups that have been working on one film are constantly being disbanded and new ones formed for another project. Human connections are fundamentally important: producers need to know directors and screenwriters, actors need to know producers, and so on,’ Alexander Akopov emphasised.

© Daniil Titorov

The director also added that the Film Institute at HSE University was established on the initiative of the Association of Film and Television Producers. ‘It is a powerful public organisation that brings together 50 leading production companies,’ he said. Thanks to this, every student has the opportunity, before graduation, to present their own project to key figures in the field of film production.

A common misconception is that acting, directing, producing, or screenwriting can be pursued without formal education. In reality, there is a certain foundation that helps one construct a role competently, write a script in accordance with all the laws of dramaturgy, and organise the filming process effectively. ‘You can tell within a few minutes of conversation whether a person has a higher education in film,’ Alexander Akopov emphasised.

Elizaveta Ishchenko

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Elizaveta Ishchenko has been acting in major projects since childhood, yet she still believes that education is important. ‘I realised that I wanted to scale up, to discover myself from different angles, to feel what knowledge is and how it can change you. When I joined the Film Institute, I experienced a real rebirth and understood just how fascinating this world is. The boundaries that you set for yourself—and that society imposes on you—begin to disappear,’ she shared.

Anna Snatkina

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‘I have devoted 25 years to the acting profession, but when you reach certain goals, you want to keep developing further. The idea of moving into producing had been maturing for quite some time, and I wanted to take responsibility for the product I am involved in,’ Anna Snatkina replied when asked why she had enrolled in the Film and Television Production programme despite her extensive experience. The actress admits that studying is difficult. ‘I suppose in the first month I felt like crying: it is one thing to be on set on one side of the camera, and quite another to find yourself inside the whole process,’ she said.

Eshgin Guseynov

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Throughout the open day, guests were accompanied by students who also shared their experiences, discoveries, and achievements. ‘We want everyone to know what we have been through and what awaits them,’ explained first-year Drama and Film Acting programme student Eshgin Guseynov. ‘We are a young but very ambitious institute. We want people to choose it with their hearts, and personally I am absolutely delighted with my studies.’