FILM AGAINST WAR FESTIVAL

2026 

FILM AGAINST WAR International Festival is a special program created through a unique collaboration within the DeepARTment, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting art for social good. This festival is a specific response to the current global need for peace and understanding. 

We are amplifying the voices of filmmakers who use their art to resist war, reject violence, and advocate for peace. Our selected films tell powerful stories of resilience, grief, and hope, focusing on the deeply human consequences of war. We aim to shift the focus away from political agendas and instead bring attention to the human experiences of conflict and the desire for a peaceful future.

The Film Against War Festival is both a protest against violence and a call for dialogue, reminding us of the importance of using creativity and compassion as tools for change. We invite you to join us in imagining a world where peace prevails and war becomes a distant memory.

We are proud to stand with filmmakers who advocate for a future defined by understanding, empathy, and cultural exchange.

MARCH 21, 2026.
Online

Who can participate

All filmmakers of any age from anywhere in the world who advocate for a future defined by understanding, empathy and cultural exchange. 

What we are looking for

We aim to shift the focus away from political agendas and instead bring attention to the human experiences of conflict and the desire for a peaceful future. We aim to highlight the voices and stories of those who resist oppression and advocate for freedom and fairness.

We are looking for films that confront the themes of dictatorship, war, and political injustice. 

Submitted work should capture the challenges of living under oppressive regimes, the complexities of conflict, or the courageous acts of resistance and advocacy for human rights. We welcome pieces that not only depict the realities of these struggles but also inspire and mobilize audiences towards empathy and action.

Formats

Creative video pieces presenting short documentaries, short features, music videos and art video compositions that confront the dictatorship, war, and political injustice.

Deadline and show dates

The Film Against War festival will be held online on March 21st 2026. 

The SUBMISSION DEADLINE is February 28, 2026, 11:59pm PST

Terms

* Submission does not guarantee your project will be selected to be shown at the festival. 

Please ensure that if your project is not in English, it includes English subtitles.

All projects, excluding music videos, must include credits at the end. This condition is optional for music videos.

All video files must be 1920x1080 pixels (Full HD).

Selection process

Each project will be evaluated by multiple judges to ensure a balanced assessment.
The list of judges to be announced on March 1, 2025.  

To ensure fairness, transparency, and consistency in the judging process projects will be evaluated by multiple parameters.

1. Judging Criteria

Judges will evaluate each project based on a set of predefined criteria, such as:

Each judge will assign a score between 1 and 10 for each category, where:

Program of the Day at the festival 

5pm - begining of online broadcast

FILM AGAINST WAR festival JUDGES

Sasha Razor

Sasha Razor is a screenwriter and lecturer in Germanic and Slavic Studies and Film and Media Studies at UC Santa Barbara. She earned her PhD in Slavic Languages and Literatures from UCLA in 2020, with a dissertation focused on Soviet screenwriting in the 1920s and 1930s.

Kevin Pike

Kevin Pike is an American film special effects supervisor, former below-the-line talent agent, and screenwriting consultant. Pike is best known for supervising the Special Effects of the 1985 film Back to the Future.

Eugene Maysky

Eugene Maysky is a Chair of Russian-Speaking Advisory Board to the City of WeHo, CES Tenant Outreach Organizer, photographer, writer/journalist, radio/TV host, producer.

FILM AGAINST WAR festival crew

Rimma PaninA

Director of the festival

Rimma Panina is an accomplished cinematographer, writer, and producer with a rich background in film production. She is currently spearheading an exciting new project, the International Slavic Film Festival, in collaboration with a diverse and trusted team of friends. This initiative aims to shift the perception of the Slavic world from Russian-centric to Slavic-centric and address the underrepresentation of Slavic culture in the US. In addition to her creative endeavors, Rimma enhances the academic and creative environment at Saddleback College as a laboratory technician in the Cinema, TV, and Radio Department, and supports female filmmakers as an event coordinator for the on-campus club LoFI. Her work organizing the LoFI Film Festival for the last four years further showcases her dedication to fostering talent and promoting diverse cultural narratives within the cinematic landscape.  

Misha Suvorov

Producer, host

Misha Suvorov is a trained actor from the city of theaters, Saint Petersburg, Russia. He graduated Sanford Meisner Center in 2016 and works on stage, TV and in film. Coming from an artsy soviet intelligentsia family, he enjoyed a privilege of having the best of what late soviet era of underground arts could offer. As of his acting style, Misha undertook Konstantin Stanislavski's method study and additional training in Mikhail Chekov's technique. In 2013 Misha arrived at Hollywood were he studied at Sanford Meisner Center of Los Angeles to learn an American way of acting. In 2024 his solo acting stage performance The Boarder won the Best of The Actors' group during the Hollywood Fringe festival.  

igor Parfenov

Content Manager

Igor has been working in the movie industry for more than a decade, specializing in audio. Born and raised in Moscow, where his early life experience shaped his appreciation for art as a medium for social and political expression, he then moved to Los Angeles in 2014 to pursue a career in film and video production and honed his craft through former training in audio production in LA Film School and in 



Vita Solzberg

Art manager

Vita Solzberg is an art activist, promoter, and artist, who creates her signature art form called Fractus. Her academic journey culminated in a degree in the History and Theory of Fine Arts in 1992 in Belarus—a nation then still tied to Soviet Union legacie. She resisted the pressure to critique artists for ideological purposes when independent galleries supporting artists were not yet established. Instead, she focused on independent journalism, which flourished during Glasnost and Perestroika. Vita excelled in TV news reportage, documentaries, feature films, and unscripted reality before returning to her lifelong dream of running her own art gallery and promoting creativity. Vitart.Gallery came to fruition after Vita Solzberg settled in Los Angeles in 2019.  

FILM AGAINST WAR partnership, sponsorship and accreditation

PArtnership


We invite you to join our network of partners in supporting a vision of peaceful coexistence and meaningful collaboration, transcending political agendas and conflicts of dominance. 


DeepARTment, the organizational body behind the Film Against War festival, is a nonprofit charity powered by volunteers and donations from generous individuals and organizations. We are committed to helping creative immigrants rediscover their voices and express themselves in their new environments, alleviating the stresses of survival and cultural adaptation.

If you’re looking to engage with our audience through your products, services, or ideas, consider opportunities such as providing catering, coffee breaks, custom T-shirts and merchandise, or printing services. Your team could also volunteer to assist with greeting guests, preparing event spaces, or handling post-event cleanup. We’re always open to your suggestions for new ways to collaborate.

Sponsorship


Join our "Thanks to..." list, see your banners, flags, and posters across the festival venues and your logo - featured in promotional materials and the festival program.


Your sponsorship of the Film Against War festival is a tax-deductible charitable contribution. Your support allows us to produce more promotional content, publish impactful articles, and create powerful videos — each helping to shift perspectives on the consequences of war and amplify the call for peace, we all want to live in. Link your brand with the idea and image of a protecting shield. 

By supporting DeepARTment, you indirectly foster opportunities for artists to enrich society through their work. DeepARTment exists to enable creators to produce more art, and art is the essence of what makes us human. 

Let’s celebrate creativity as a force for peace and humanity— your support can help us achieve this.

For media


We’re here to make your job easier! Our team is happy to provide information, ideas, interviews, stills, and videos to help you create compelling stories for your audience.


If you’re interested in using the Film Against War festival as a promotional opportunity for your media outlet, we’d love to discuss options for coverage in exchange for placing your logo on our flyers, banners, festival programs, website, ticketing platforms, and social media. Let’s collaborate creatively and establish a partnership that benefits us both.

Additionally, offering informational support to a nonprofit is considered a charitable contribution and may benefit your tax filings. 

With our team of media professionals who understand the needs of your audience, working with DeepARTment is sure to be a smooth and rewarding experience.

MARCH 21, 2026

Online

5 PM PDT. FILM AGAINST WAR International Film Festival.

Presented by Russian Speaking Advisory Board of City of West Hollywood and RimoVision Group.

With the support of Navalny LA Group and RADR (Russian Americans for Democracy in Russia).

We believe that when people create together, it becomes difficult to remain enemies. Collaboration fosters trust, a sense of safety, and ultimately, happiness.