Five months after the first film screening on the Open? website, Vladimir Nadein, co-founder and director of the Moscow International Experimental Film Festival (MIEFF), and Ekaterina Selenkina, director and co-curator of the MIEFF educational program, discuss the Other Zones cycle, and the curators of the Russian pavilion join the conversation to comment on the meaning of the film program at the Architectural Biennale. During the conversation, it becomes clear how the quarantine played a role in the selection of films and how "zones of difference" can serve as a fertile ground for the creation of new, unconventional institutions.

 "This year's program at the Russian Pavilion focuses on the role of cultural institutions during the crisis. It was important for us not only to discuss new formats in words, but also to invite one of these institutions to participate. In particular, we collaborated with MIEFF, an independent festival that promotes culture through cinema."

Ippolito Pestellini Laparalli

 "The transition to an online format has influenced the selection of films. Additionally, all relationships have become more friendly and trusting. The Internet is a kind of “safe zone” where there are far fewer restrictions than in reality. In addition, while I was at my dacha and the curators were in Italy, we became very close.”

Vladimir Nadein

*“Both architecture and cinema are heavily influenced by the materiality and tactile experience of space, which is beautifully showcased in Vova’s selection. The films included in the program demonstrate how deeply people are connected to and influenced by their surroundings. And how much they in turn influence their surroundings"

Ekaterina Selenkina