Penza, 2 December 2017. PenzaNews. The honoured artist of Russia, theatre and cinema actor Roman Madyanov received the top prize of the 10th open Ivan Mozzhukhin cinema festival “Men’s role” organized in Penza with the support of the regional government and the Ministry of Culture of the region.

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The award was presented to him by the deputy chairman of the regional government Oleg Yagov.

"Roman Sergeevich, I would like to say that talented people lived, do live now and will live in the Penza region. It goes without saying that you will not see a prize of such a kind elsewhere. It contains a hint. There is a crown on the one side of it, and a fool's cap – on the other," he noted at the opening ceremony, which was held in the cinema and concert hall "Penza" in the evening on Friday, December 1.

According to Roman Madyanov, it was a great honour to him to receive the top prize of the festival.

"The award is very precious to me. [...] I am always glad when such events take place not only in the capital but also in our wonderful out-of-the-way city. Why out-of-the-way though? It is the heart of our country!" the actor said.

He added that the Russian cinema is gradually gaining trust of the audience.

Roman Madyanov also expressed hope that Penza residents will like the film "Once upon a time" ("Zhyli-byli"), which opened the programme of the festival “Men’s role”.

In turn, the film expert and critic Vyacheslav Shmyrov, who also became an honoured guest of the opening ceremony, thanked Penza residents for preserving the memory of their outstanding fellow citizens including the brothers Mozzhukhiny.

"Cherish your culture, pass it on to other generations. [...] When there is a competition between regions, you will immediately become winners: you have Lermontov, Belinsky, Meierhold, Mozzhukhin," he noted.

According to the president of the film festival, cinema expert and filmmaker Svetlana Starostina, the festival “Men’s role” appeared in the period that was called the time "without heroes" but the organizers managed to prove the opposite.

"All these years the festival has been supported by the main people in any film making in the world – audience. But for you, the festival would not exist," she added.

In 2017, the festival “Men’s role” will last three days – December 1, 2 and 3. The number of grounds where films will be shown was increased: in addition to the cinema and concert hall "Penza", the cinema "Vysshaya Liga", and the Literary Museum, the Lunacharsky Regional Drama Theatre, the cinema complex "Sovremennik" and the M. Y. Lermontov library will also be involved.