According to film festival officials, this year's festival is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of prominent Russian film director, actor and teacher Rolan Bykov (died on October 10 1998).
The program of the festival includes a film contest of 12 movies presented by Russia, Finland, France, Germany, Sweden, Norway and other countries. An international panel consisting of adult judges and two panels consisting of children will determine the winner.
At the opening ceremony in the House of Cinema, representatives of the International Foundation for the Development of Cinema and Television for Children and Youth will present awards to prominent cultural figures and organizations.
The agenda of the festival also includes the Panorama program, which includes the showing of international blockbusters for children and youth, and the Novaya Vstrecha program.
The program Our Children will include the showing of the "Welcome, or Authorized Access Only" movie dedicated to the memory of Elem Klimov.
The Special Show program will present the "Zhizn na Vyrost," a film about the life and work of Rolan Bykov. Elena Sanayeva, Rolan Bykov's wife and a well-known Russian actress, wrote the screenplay and directed the movie.
The festival will continue till January 7, 2005. It is organized by the International Foundation for the Development of Cinema and Television for Children and Youth under the patronage of the Russian culture ministry and Moscow city government.
Rolan Bykov was the founder and director of the All-Russia Center of Cinema and Television for children and Youth, which later became the International Foundation for the Development of Cinema and Television for Children and Youth (it is widely known under the name the Rolan Rykov Fund). In 1994, the International Association of Children's Foundations awarded Mr. Bykov with the Leo Tolstoy Golden Medal.
