| Nika Award | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Excellence in cinematic achievements |
| Country | Russia |
| Presented by | Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Science |
| First award | 17 December 1988 |
| Website | Official site of the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Science |
TheNika Award (sometimes styledNIKA Award) is the main annual nationalfilm award in Russia, presented by theRussian Academy of Cinema Arts and Science, and seen as the national equivalent of theOscars.
In 2022 nominees were announced, but the award ceremony was postponed and, eventually, cancelled.[1]
The Award ceremony was also cancelled in 2023.[2]
The award was established in 1987 in Moscow byYuli Gusman,[3] and ostensibly modelled on theOscars.[4] The Russian award takes its name fromNike, the goddess of victory. Accordingly, the prize is modelled after the sculpture of theWinged Victory of Samothrace.[5]
The oldest professional film award in Russia, the Nika Award was established during the final years ofUSSR by the influentialRussian Union of Filmmakers.[6]
At first the awards were judged by all the members of the Union of Filmmakers. In the early 1990s, a special academy, consisting of over 500 academicians, was elected for distributing the awards, which recognise outstanding achievements in cinema (not television) produced in Russia and theCommonwealth of Independent States.
In 2002Nikita Mikhalkov established the competingGolden Eagle Award, modelled on theGolden Globe Awards as it honours both film and television production of Russia.[3]
The award name is sometimes styled NIKA Awards.[7]
The Nika Awards ceremony is broadcast annually and attracts huge publicity across Russia and theCommonwealth of Independent States.[8]