It is held annually in June, during Saint Petersburg's White Nights Festival.
Past guests of the festival include Bob Rafelsson (film director), Meryl Streep (actress), François Ozon (film director), and others.
The Festival of Festivals—The main screening section.
The festival also includes a Retrospectives screening section as well as a special screening section, whose themes change every year.
Although the festival is non-competitive, it does award a number of special prizes, including: Grand Prix – Gold or Golden Gryphon (Griffon)[2] - Awarded to the film rated highest by guests and participants Silver Gryphon - Awarded to the film rated highest by audiences Bronze Gryphon - Awarded to the best experimental film The Nikolay Ovsyannikov Prize - Awarded for the best debut Prize of the City of St. Petersburg - Awarded for contributions to world cinema made by a director whose film is featured in this year’s festival Prize of the Board - Awarded to the screening section deemed to be this year’s best Prize for Talent and National Recognition - Awarded to exceptional actors, actresses, and directors