Golden Unicorn Awards

The Golden Unicorn Awards were annual awards recognising excellence in Russian cinema and international films with Russian themes. Founded in 2016 by Filip Perkon, the awards ceremony was held in London, England, following Russian Film Week. Both Russian Film Week and the Golden Unicorn Awards have been "cancelled until further notice" since 2018 or 2019.

History

Russian Film Week and the Golden Unicorn Awards were founded by Filip Perkon in 2016 in London,[1] run by Perkon Productions Ltd with a group of volunteers on a non-profit basis. In 2017, the Russian Ministry of Culture, along with Synergy University (a private university in Moscow, Russia's largest private education provider[2]), and the British Film Institute began supporting the event.[3]

In December 2025, journalist Brian Krebs published an investigation revealing connections between Russian Film Week, the Golden Unicorn Awards, their founder Filip Perkon, influence operations by the Russian Government, and drone production for Russia's war against Ukraine.[2] He found that Perkon held director positions in several UK subsidiaries of Synergy University. Synergy's president, Vadim Lobov, served as a sponsor and co-producer of the two events,[2] and the university was an official co-organizer of the awards.[4] The university operates a division that develops combat drones for Russian forces in Ukraine.[2] Around 2015, Perkon developed a social media propaganda tool called the Russian Diplomatic Online Club. During the Brexit referendum, the Russian Embassy in London used the tool to amplify the Russian ambassador's posts from supporters' accounts.[2][5]

Both Russian Film Week and the Golden Unicorn Awards appear to have been "cancelled until further notice" since 2018 or 2019.[6][7]

Description

The Golden Unicorn awards are annual awards recognising excellence in Russian cinema as well as international films with Russian themes.[8] The ceremony is held in London, England, following Russian Film Week.[9][3]

Eligibility

Feature-length, animation, short and documentary films should be produced in Russia and released 18 months prior to the start of Russian Film Week. International films do not have to be produced in Russia but have to be Russian-themed. The film producers have to submit the films electronically or in DCP format with English subtitles through the Russian Film Week or the Golden Unicorn Awards FilmFreeway portal no later than November 1 of the relevant year.[10]

The nomination committee review the submissions and select the films for consideration of the jury. The nomination committee is independent from the jury.[8]

Jury

The 2017 jury included Scottish actor Brian Cox, English film critic Peter Bradshaw, Canadian-born British producer Elliot Grove (founder of the Raindance Film Festival and the British Independent Film Awards), along with Stuart Brown, BFI's head of programme & acquisitions, and various academics, publishers, and film industry professionals from around the world:[11]

The jury in 2018 included Brian Cox and actress Olga Kurylenko, along with Stuart Brown, and some of the same and other various academics, publishers, and film industry professionals from around the world.[12]

Ceremony

The ceremony [13] takes place every year in a form of a charitable gala following the Russian Film Week. The Golden Unicorn Awards collaborated with the Naked Heart Foundation[14] to fundraise £160,000[15] during Russian Film Week and the main ceremony in 2018.[16] The awards also raised GBP85,000 [17] for the Gift of Life Charity [18][9] in 2016.

Golden unicorn symbol

The symbol of the golden unicorn was chosen as a common notion for the Russian and British nations. The golden unicorn was depicted on the Russian Coat of Arms along with St. George in 16th-century Russia.[19] The golden unicorn is also one of the symbols of Great Britain.[20]

The Golden Unicorn statuette was made of Bohemian glass and handcrafted in the Czech Republic.

Categories

The Golden Unicorn is awarded for the following categories:[21]

  • Best Feature Film
  • Best Screenplay
  • Best Actor
  • Best Actress
  • Best Short Film
  • Best Documentary
  • Best Animated Film
  • Best Foreign Film with a Russian connection

Special awards:

  • Best Contribution to Promoting Russian Culture Abroad
  • Best Emerging Talent
  • General Producer's Award

Winners

Nomination [10] 2019 [22][23] 2018[24] 2017[25] 2016[26]
Best Feature Film [27] Van Goghs How Viktor "the Garlic" Took Alexey "the Stud" Тo The Nursing Home[28] Loveless (film) The Student
Best Screenplay The Humorist How Viktor "the Garlic" Took Alexey "the Stud" Тo The Nursing Home Loveless (film) About Love
Best Actor Daniel Olbrychski / Van Goghs Evgeny Tkachuk / How Viktor "the Garlic" Took Alexey "the Stud" to the Nursing Home Aleksandr Yatsenko / Arrythmia Petr Skvortsov / The Student
Best Actress Anna Mikhalkova / Another Woman Irina Starshenbaum / Summer Maryana Spivak / Loveless (film) Renata Litvinova / About Love
Best Short Film White mark The Sign The Law of excluded third 8 dir. Anna Melikyan
Best Foreign Documentary Film Buratino A Sniper’s War Oleg and the Rare Arts Stephen Coates and Paul Heartfield / Roentgenizdat
Best Documentary Film The Case of Sobchak INTO_Nation of the Great Odessa Lake Vostok
Best Animated Film The Snow Queen: Mirrorlands [29] N/A Listening to Beеthoven Sheep and Wolves dir. Maxim Volkov, Andrei Galat
Best Foreign Film with a Russian connection Give Me Liberty Sergio & Sergei Lady Macbeth War and Piece, BBC series dir. Tom Harper
Best Emerging Talent Alena Mikhailova, actress / Love Them All Timothy Zhalnin, Director / Coupled Daria Zhovner / Closeness Semen Treskunov / Good Boy
Best Debut The Humorist
Best Russian Film on Ecology Father Baikal [30]

References

  1. ^ "Russian Film Week & Golden Unicorn Awards". 5 December 2016. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e Krebs, Brian (8 December 2025). "Drones to Diplomas: How Russia's Largest Private University is Linked to a $25M Essay Mill". KrebsOnSecurity. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Russian Film Week returns to London in 2018!". 24 October 2018. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  4. ^ "Russian Film Week 2017 in the UK". Afisha London. 1 December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  5. ^ "Intelligence watchdog urged to look at Russian influence on Brexit vote". The Guardian. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  6. ^ "Main". Russian Film Week. 19 November 2017. Archived from the original on 6 September 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  7. ^ "Golden Unicorn Awards". goldenunicornaward.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Golden Unicorn Awards". www.goldenunicornaward.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Rossotrudnichestvo". Представительство Россотрудничества в Великобритании. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  10. ^ a b "The Golden Unicorn Awards & Russian Film Week". FilmFreeway. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  11. ^ "Golden Unicorn Awards". www.goldenunicornaward.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  12. ^ "Golden Unicorn Awards". www.goldenunicornaward.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  13. ^ "«Золотой единорог» 2018: формальный отчет и неформальные фотографии". 2 December 2018. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  14. ^ "The Golden Unicorn Awards 2018 and Charity Gala in aid of Naked Heart Foundation was held in London – Naked Heart Foundation". www.nakedheart.org. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  15. ^ "The Golden Unicorn Awards 2018 – Profile Russia". profilerussia.com. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  16. ^ "В Лондоне вручат русский "Оскар" -". 14 November 2018. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  17. ^ "Russian Film Week opens in UK". TASS. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  18. ^ "EVENT: The Golden Unicorn Awards and Gift of Life UK Charity Gala, 3 December". Russian Art + Culture. 25 November 2016.
  19. ^ "Russian Heraldry as It is /". the.heraldry.ru. Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  20. ^ "The Lion and the Unicorn". Museum of the Order of St John. 17 May 2016. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  21. ^ "Неделя Российского Кино в Великобритании огласила номинантов на премию «Золотой Единорог» в 2017 году". 5 November 2017. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  22. ^ "Неделя российского кино в Лондоне: подведение итогов и раздача единорогов". BBC News Русская Служба. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  23. ^ "В Лондоне вручена кинопремия "Золотой Единорог-2019"". 2 December 2019. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  24. ^ "В Лондоне вручили Золотых единорогов". www.proficinema.ru. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  25. ^ "Golden Unicorn Awards". www.goldenunicornaward.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  26. ^ "Golden Unicorn Awards". www.goldenunicornaward.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  27. ^ "Итоги Недели российского кино и премии "Золотой Единорог"". 7 December 2018. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  28. ^ ""Витька-Чеснок и Леха-Штырь" увезли из Лондона главных "Единорогов"". BBC News Русская Служба. 3 December 2018. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  29. ^ "Воронежский мультфильм получил награду на конкурсе в Лондоне". 2 December 2019. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  30. ^ "Фильм "Отец Байкал" сегодня покажут в Лондоне". Archived from the original on 23 June 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
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