Valery Stepanov

Five aspiring directors, five short stories about the discovery of cinema. Each short story is an independent story exploring how cinema begins, how it influences us and where the line between the screen and reality lies. The film almanac has the widest range of genres, themes, geography of authors, time of action and even frame format. It can be a short sketch from the set, where the lighting technician suddenly changes places and importance with the most influential auteur director; preparation for the first film screening in Rus'; a conversation between friends immediately after the film; a story of a difficult choice between creative freedom and a career; and finally, a free interpretation of the 1986 film about the life of a simple fisherman from Kaliningrad.

A 13-year-old girl grows up between a boxing ring and the street. Her friends are guys who kill and rob. In the 1990s the whole city hates them, but for Masha they are the best people in the world, who love and protect her. She sings them jazz and dreams of becoming a singer. But one day Masha learns who they actually are and what they have done to her life and family. She matures, leaves the small city for Moscow, trying to break with her past. But one day the past stands directly before her.

The story of a young actor who works as Santa Claus during the holidays. One day, he meets an attractive girl who asks him to put on a holiday performance for her older boyfriend. However, the meeting becomes the beginning of unexpected and dramatic events that reveal the dark secrets of the protagonist's past and his connections with the people he meets.

Four friends arrange film screenings for the residents of their village. After another outdoor session, they return home. Their conversations about cinema, life and the future are intertwined with subtle matters and eternal arguments.

An expelled journalism student, trying to make sense of his life, carefully documents his summer, as well as the story of the disappearance and death of the founders of one of the first startups on the Russian Internet.

Kolya and Sasha hide away in an old lodge in the middle of the forest. They are in love, and the world around seems strange and wonderful. But the idyll of the sunny summer days is continually disturbed by nightmares. Sasha dreams that she is submerged by a huge wave. Once they meet a mysterious married couple living in the neighbourhood. The Man and the Woman are very much like the young lovers. With their help, they try to understand their feelings.

17-year-old tennis player Katya is forced to quit the sport. Her family has no money, no connections, and not even the desire to fight for her dream of the world of big-time sports. Now tennis has become a way of survival for the girl. Pretending to be a novice, Katya goes to private courts in Moscow and beats rich amateurs for money. One of these "duels" is witnessed by former professional athlete Igor Strelnikov, a tired coach who has long dreamed of finding a truly gifted child. When he sees Katya, he realizes that this is the "uncut diamond" and his chance to return to the world of big—time sports. Igor is making the biggest bet of his career on Katya.