Golden Unicorn Awards

The Golden Unicorn Awards were annual awards recognising excellence in Russian cinema and international films with Russian themes. Founded in 2016 by Filip Perkon, the awards ceremony was held in London, England, following Russian Film Week. Both Russian Film Week and the Golden Unicorn Awards have been "cancelled until further notice" since 2018 or 2019.

History

Russian Film Week and the Golden Unicorn Awards were founded by Filip Perkon in 2016 in London, run by Perkon Productions Ltd with a group of volunteers on a non-profit basis. In 2017, the Russian Ministry of Culture, along with Synergy University, and the British Film Institute began supporting the event.
In December 2025, journalist Brian Krebs published an investigation revealing connections between Russian Film Week, the Golden Unicorn Awards, their founder Filip Perkon, influence operations by the Russian Government, and drone production for Russia's war against Ukraine. He found that Perkon held director positions in several UK subsidiaries of Synergy University. Synergy's president, Vadim Lobov, served as a sponsor and co-producer of the two events, and the university was an official co-organizer of the awards. The university operates a division that develops combat drones for Russian forces in Ukraine. Around 2015, Perkon developed a social media propaganda tool called the Russian Diplomatic Online Club. During the Brexit referendum, the Russian Embassy in London used the tool to amplify the Russian ambassador's posts from supporters' accounts.
Both Russian Film Week and the Golden Unicorn Awards appear to have been "cancelled until further notice" since 2018 or 2019.

Description

The Golden Unicorn awards are annual awards recognising excellence in Russian cinema as well as international films with Russian themes. The ceremony is held in London, England, following Russian Film Week.

Eligibility

Feature-length, animation, short and documentary films should be produced in Russia and released 18 months prior to the start of Russian Film Week. International films do not have to be produced in Russia but have to be Russian-themed. The film producers have to submit the films electronically or in DCP format with English subtitles through the Russian Film Week or the Golden Unicorn Awards FilmFreeway portal no later than November 1 of the relevant year.
The nomination committee review the submissions and select the films for consideration of the jury. The nomination committee is independent from the jury.

Jury

The 2017 jury included Scottish actor Brian Cox, English film critic Peter Bradshaw, Canadian-born British producer Elliot Grove, along with Stuart Brown, BFI's head of programme & acquisitions, and various academics, publishers, and film industry professionals from around the world:
The jury in 2018 included Brian Cox and actress Olga Kurylenko, along with Stuart Brown, and some of the same and other various academics, publishers, and film industry professionals from around the world.

Ceremony

The ceremony takes place every year in a form of a charitable gala following the Russian Film Week. The Golden Unicorn Awards collaborated with the Naked Heart Foundation to fundraise during Russian Film Week and the main ceremony in 2018. The awards also raised GBP85,000 for the Gift of Life Charity in 2016.

Golden unicorn symbol

The symbol of the golden unicorn was chosen as a common notion for the Russian and British nations. The golden unicorn was depicted on the Russian Coat of Arms along with St. George in 16th-century Russia. The golden unicorn is also one of the symbols of Great Britain.
The Golden Unicorn statuette was made of Bohemian glass and handcrafted in the Czech Republic.