‘Anti-woke’ Diamond Butterfly film awards crown Russian WWII drama

The international competition promotes traditional values and cultural identity as an alternative to Western film awards

A Russian WWII drama has won the top prize at the second Diamond Butterfly Eurasian film awards, an international cinema competition positioned as an ‘anti-woke’ alternative to mainstream Western film prizes.

The ceremony took place in Moscow on Thursday, with 41 films from 19 countries competing for awards. Winners represented nine nations, including Russia, Serbia, India, Iran, Pakistan, and Cuba.

August,’ directed by Nikita Vysotsky and Ilya Lebedev, was named Best Film. The Russian production, set during World War II, also won Best Production Design. The top award came with a diamond-encrusted statuette and a 10-carat Yakut diamond valued at over $1 million.

The competition has expanded since its inaugural ceremony in Moscow last year, when 34 films from 17 countries competed and Chinese director Xu Zheng’s ‘Upstream’ won Best Film.

The Diamond Butterfly awards were established at the initiative of renowned Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov to promote cinema rooted in traditional values, cultural identity, and universal moral principles. Organizers have presented the project as an alternative to Western awards, which they accuse of increasingly prioritizing ‘woke’ ideology and political messaging over artistic merit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recorded a video message for the ceremony, praising the Eurasian Film Academy for upholding humanitarian ideals that “cannot and must not depend on political circumstances, artificially imposed standards and dogmas.”

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He said that cinema could bring nations closer together through respect for cultural traditions, national identity, and diversity, while helping to overcome stereotypes and build trust.

“Russia is open to partnership with everyone who is ready to contribute to dialogue between people and states and to building a more just world order,” Putin added.

Other winners included Kyrgyz director Kanybek Kalmatov for ‘Aitmatov’, Iranian screenwriter Alireza Motamedi for ‘Daughter of the Fairy Lady’, and Kazakh actor Zhasulan Kopbergenov for ‘Restart’. India’s M. M. Keeravani won Best Composer, while Cuba’s ‘Street 232’ took the prize for Best Film Outside Eurasia.