The Diamond Butterfly brings together filmmakers from around the world who focus on traditional values and cultural heritage
The Eurasian Cinema Academy has launched the selection process for films competing for the 2026 Diamond Butterfly awards, with screenings already underway ahead of the ceremony in Moscow, organizers announced on Tuesday.
The event is billed as an alternative to mainstream Western film awards, promoting works rooted in traditional values that reject the ‘wokeism’ and political messaging which organizers say have become increasingly prevalent in contemporary cinema.
Renowned Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov spearheaded the creation of the Eurasian Cinema Academy and the Diamond Butterfly award with support from Russia’s Culture Ministry and Foreign Ministry. Organizers say the initiative aims to foster cultural exchange and promote films that reflect both “national” and “universal spiritual and moral values.”
Each participating country may nominate up to three feature films released within a year of the competition cycle. The best picture winner will receive a butterfly-shaped statuette adorned with nearly 5,000 diamonds and a $1 million cash prize. Winners in the other 11 categories will receive $250,000 each.
Last year, 34 films from 17 countries competed for the Diamond Butterfly, including entries from Russia, China, Türkiye, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, South Africa, Venezuela, and Cuba.
According to the award’s executive producer, Leonid Vereshagin, last year’s response demonstrated “enormous demand for honest, deep and meaningful cinema.” He predicted even broader participation this year.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described the event as a unique platform for Eurasian filmmakers and an emerging “cultural center of power” for a continent rooted in tradition. Unlike its Western counterparts, the award is free from imposed ideological narratives and an excessive focus on gender politics, she argued.
Zakharova added that, while the date of the ceremony has yet to be announced, screenings are already taking place in Belgrade. Additional events are planned in Russia, China, South Africa, North Korea, Hungary, Italy, and France.
The inaugural ceremony was also held in the Russian capital last November, when Chinese director Xu Zheng’s drama Upstream won the award for best picture.
