Moscow · July 10–20, 2026

VERTICAL DRAMA
INTERNATIONAL
FESTIVAL

The first festival in Russia and one of the first globally dedicated to microdramas and vertical series

25Countries
2.5MVisitors
6Awards
10Days
Submit Your Project Download Presentation ↓
About

Festival & B2B Program

Online

The festival runs within the Chill vertical app and online platform — viewers watch competition entries and vote for winners directly on the platform.

Offline

Industry B2B program and master classes in Moscow. Panels on the future of vertical content in CIS with top players of the global microdrama landscape and local streamers.

Focus On…

  • Dedicated sections within the program for vertical content from selected countries.
  • Genre days to introduce different genres to the audience.
  • Curated selections from top artists and bloggers.

Deconstructing Microdrama

Master classes from top vertical drama creators. Learn the craft of short-form storytelling from industry leaders.

Platform & Partners

Runs on CHILL

Festival will run on Chill online platform and app — both account for 2.5 million monthly visitors. All major VOD platforms in Russia are partnering with the Realist festival.

CHILL
Okko
Premier
Wink
Кинопоиск
ИВИ
KION
Rutube
Market

Why Russia? Why Moscow?

Russia is an emerging vertical drama market where the Chinese growth playbook can be replicated. Strong demand with a clear content gap — ideal entry point.

Growing Demand

  • High consumption of short-form video across existing platforms.
  • Top SVOD players have launched vertical viewing.
  • Lower content saturation compared to top microdrama markets.

Emerging Ecosystem

  • Vertical-first production ecosystem is being established.
  • Strong demand for format rights.
  • Locally-shot microdramas number is growing.
  • Monetization patterns still being resolved.
Competition

Awards Program

Winners selected by the audience. Viewers vote directly on the platform.

🏆

Grand Prix

Best overall project

🎬

Best Classic Microdrama

Narrative excellence

🎭

Best Genre Vertical Series

Genre storytelling

⭐

Most Outstanding Character

Character craft

✨

Best Animated Vertical Series

Animation in vertical

📹

Best Unscripted Series/Show

Non-fiction vertical

Requirements

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Formats

  • Microdramas
  • Vertical series
  • Animated vertical series
  • All genres, including unscripted

Submission Format

  • Total runtime: 3–10 minutes
  • Any number of episodes within this limit
  • Produced after January 1, 2025
  • Or currently in production

Competition

  • Not previously released in Russia in any online media
  • Produced after January 1, 2025 or currently in production

Out-of-Competition

  • Projects produced after January 1, 2025 or currently in production
  • Previously released projects are eligible
Timeline

Key Dates

May 12
Submissions Open
June 20
Submissions Close
July 1
Program Announced
July 10–20
Festival & Voting
Submit

Submit Your Vertical Project

Applications open May 12 – June 20, 2026. Fill in the form below and our team will get back to you.

By submitting you agree that the festival team may contact you regarding your application.

Team

Festival Team

AK

Anton Kalinkin

President of the Festival
Producer, Director
Founder of REALIST Web Series Festival

ZP

Zhan Prosyanov

Director of Business Development
Chill Platform

zhanprosyanov@gmail.com
KP

Katerina Pshenitsyna

Program Director

kpshenitsina@gmail.com
REALIST FestivalAdd to Home Screen