(Berlin, 14 September 2026) The first KIRILL & FRIENDS BERLIN FESTIVAL drew to a close yesterday, Sunday evening, with a spectacular party following yet another sold-out performance of “DER SCHNEESTURM” (THE SNOWSTORM). Theatre and film director Kirill Serebrennikov and his company Kirill & Friends welcomed over 10,500 visitors across a total of 28 events held over ten days. More than 100 participants from over 15 countries presented theatre and dance performances, films, exhibitions and talks at the Komische Oper Berlin@Schillertheater, the Deutsches Theater Berlin, the DOCK 11 venues, the CUBIX cinema on Alexanderplatz and St. Matthäus-Church.
“LEGENDE” (LEGEND), Serebrennikov’s large-scale theatre production inspired by the world of the famous filmmaker Sergei Paradjanov; “DER SCHNEESTURM” (THE SNOWSTORM), based on the novel by Vladimir Sorokin, starring film award winning August Diehl as Dr Garin; “APOCALYPSE TOMORROW”, a physical theatre production by Evgeny Kulagin and Ivan Estegneev, and Ivan Estegneev’s solo dance performance „DIE TRAUER DES DÄMONS“ (THE SORROW OF THE DEMON) were among the acclaimed highlights of the programme.
The film programme was also a key part of the festival. Curated by the French film critic Joël Chapron, it featured a selection of remarkable and much-discussed works from various sections of the Cannes Film Festival, including the director’s cut of Serebrennikov’s “Tchaikovsky’s Wife” and “Jim Queen and the Quest for Chloroqueer” by Marco Nguyen and Nicolas Athané.
The two talk events hosted by Kirill Serebrennikov – “BLUETOOTH MODE”, featuring actor August Diehl as a guest, and “WEATHER FORECAST”, featuring the playwright and writer Vladimir Sorokin – proved hugely popular. Two challenging artistic workshops – “DANCING PLAGUE” with choreographers Evgeny Kulagin and Ivan Estegneev, and “PROPHETS” with composer, musician and educator Alexander Manotskov – each culminated in acclaimed public performances.
Also, in the Maschinenhaus of the Berlin cultural centre KulturBrauerei the “Ampersand (&) Grant” was awarded yesterday. The “Ampersand (&) Grant” is an initiative by Kirill & Friends, launched to support artists who have come from another country and continued their artistic work in Germany. The grant is intended as a gesture of recognition, trust and support, and is aimed at artists whose work has enriched Germany’s contemporary cultural landscape in recent years.
It is important to note that the recipients of the grants are not friends or long-standing partners of Kirill & Friends, but artists with whom the company has not yet collaborated. Four experts from various cultural fields – Birgit Lengers, Joachim Lux, Simon Mraz and Kirill Serebrennikov – independently nominated artists and then jointly selected five recipients.
At the festival’s closing ceremony, the ‘Ampersand (&) Grant’ was awarded to Kenda Hmeidan (Syria / Germany), Sandro Šutalo (Bosnia and Herzegovina / Germany), Upsala Circus (Russia / Germany), NILA (Iran / Germany) and ZIP GROUP (Russia / Germany).
The Kirill & Friends company was founded in Berlin in 2023 by Kirill Serebrennikov as a collective of artists from different countries, cultures and artistic backgrounds. Over the past three years, their projects have been staged in Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Salzburg, Paris and other cities. The idea behind this festival in Berlin was simple, according to Serebrennikov: “For us, art is not primarily about buildings or institutions. It’s about people. It’s about looking another person in the eye. Hearing a different voice. Sharing time, space, ideas, differences of opinion, discoveries – and occasionally a glass of champagne too. Because FRIENDS is not the name of a closed circle. It’s an invitation.”
KIRILL & FRIENDS has established itself as an independent event and will continue to develop into a travelling festival. Next stop: KIRILL & FRIENDS PARIS FESTIVAL 2027.