If you are a person who loves art and cinema, then you have probably heard about The FOLLOW YOUR HEART Film Festival. Their fifth international edition just happened on the 10th of January, 2026. It took place at Hilton Miami Aventura, presenting a curated convergence of people coming from different art streamlines, notably auteur cinema, fashion, and contemporary visual culture.
FOLLOW YOUR HEART has been passionately acting as a hotspot that has been enabling and inspiring artists and professionals to interact and share ideas. Those who have attended FOLLOW YOUR HEART approve its versatile approach regarding pivoting cinema and fashion in parallel.
About the 2026 edition…
It was held with the support of the festival’s official partner, Hilton Miami Aventura. The venue highlighted the event’s soul, with its architectural design that amplified the festival’s atmosphere. Almost 300 guests, including many leading professionals and art admirers, attended, showcasing the buzz around the festival.
The Brainchild of FOLLOW YOUR HEART
Ofcourse, the inventory behind the creation of such a festival could have come from an artistic mind. FOLLOW YOUR HEART was founded and directed by Oxana Nechaeva, who is also a producer and director of international cultural and film projects. He enabled artists to collaborate, have a dialogue, and inspire each other under one platform that is FOLLOW YOUR HEART.
This year’s edition of FOLLOW YOUR HEART became possible due to the participation of notable and reputable personalities who were successful in their assigned streams, such as:
- Fashion Program
Valentina Varnavskaia is an international fashion producer. She headed the runway presentations and visual direction of the fashion segment.
- Event Manager
Tatiana Pustovit participated as an Event Head at Hilton Aventura. She coordinated the event on behalf of the venue.
- Programming Director
Albert Rudnitsky oversaw the Programming Direction and served as Chairman of the Jury.
- Award Ceremony Hosting
Ekaterina Odintsova hosted the award ceremony. She is a television presenter and journalist. She is known for her work on major broadcast projects and for coverage of international and cultural events. During the event, just as with her authentic style, she ensured a well-structured ceremony with fluidity intact. She successfully handled competitive and non-competitive segments.
Festival’s Highlights 2026
In their fifth international edition in 2026, the festival introduced Vertical Cinema. It was a non-competitive section dedicated to vertical filmmaking. This segment elegantly highlighted the festival’s openness to evolving cinematic formats and new visual languages.
Dan Tilmor, a leading international industrialist, also attended the festival. He was given a special recognition. His professional background includes high-level selection associated with Academy Awards-related projects. His presence reinforced the festival’s connection to global film standards.
In that non-competitive program, Clown Story was also included, directed by Albert Rudnitsky. About Albert, last year, he received five Academy Awards and the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. So these have been the highlights of the non-competitive program of the Festival.
In Competitive Program…
The competitive program featured international short films. The festival, in total, received more than 300 submissions from 30 countries. Only ten were included in the official program, in accordance with the Festival standards and the program’s time window.
- Awards Ceremonial Based on Films
Out of ten selections, six made it to the award category, based on the award criteria. The nominations were for Best Film, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, and Best Production.
- Best Film (Grand Prize)
This year’s FOLLOW YOUR HEART Best Film title (Grand Prize) won Timelessness. It was selected for its artistic vision in its making and its emotional depth as a final product.
- Best Actress
Darya Ekamasova won the Best Actress title for her elegant performance in the film.
- Best Director and Best Production
The third category was about best direction and best production. For I Am Dead, ” I made it in this category. It was selected due to its impressive direction and its strong understanding of the story.
- Best Cinematography
For the iconic cinematography, Local Warming, with its intriguing name, directed by Manuel Barbie, won the category. It captivated with its expressive visuals, with a perfect match of atmospheric precision.
- Best Production Design
For the marvellous, cohesive visual world designs and for taking storytelling as a sacred art, The Feed, directed by Amber Grey, captivated the jury’s hearts. It won the Best Production Design category.
It is worth noting that each nominee was the finest overall. They were selected for excelling in a competition according to award criteria.
Fashion Category Highlights
Fashion remained the true soul of FOLLOW YOUR HEART. This year’s festival featured runway collections by Dreveman and La Magnetique. Drevelman, designed by Artem Drevelman, showcased a dramatic, visually captivating collection that highlighted scale and emotional intensity.
La Magnetique, designed by Kateryna Frumina, showcased a pajama-inspired collection characterised by elegance, subtle playfulness, and refined styling.
La Magnetique, designed by Kateryna Frumina, showcased a pyjama-inspired collection that carried grace, subtle playfulness, and refined styling.
The Fashion Presentations were supported by Dana Lekus Beauty Team, led by makeup artist and hairstylist Dana Lekus, with contributions from an international team of makeup artists and hairstylists.
Musical direction for the evening was provided by DJ Tanya Coleman, maintaining a cohesive and dynamic atmosphere throughout the event.
FOLLOW YOUR HEART MIAMI (2026 Jury):
Finally, the list of respected personalities who presented with their talents as a Jury in FOLLOW YOUR HEART MIAMI 2026.
Albert Rudnitsky is a director, cinematographer, and screenwriter based in New York. His portfolio consists of award-winning short films, theatrical productions, music videos, and commercial projects, spanning his success in both Europe and the United States.
To judge auteur cinema, Dmitrii Galdin, an established director, screenwriter, and creative producer with over 15 years of experience in film, television, and media, served as a juror. More about Dmitrii, he is a two-time winner of the national TEFI television award.
Among the juries in the festival, Oleg Blinov also took part. He has a diverse career in filmmaking and television projects.
Elchin Ahmadov, founder of Vision 88 LLC (Miami). He is a luxury director and creative director. He is best known for cinematic commercial storytelling projects. He is widely recognized for his collaborations with international brands and artists.
To have a world-class input, along with cinema and art, Oleh Stepovyi served on the jury. He, with his journalistic precision and expertise in documentary filmmaking and deep social analysis, brought a unique blend to his role as a juror.
For the contemporary visual arts, Sasha Korolko presented herself. She is a film and television director, best known for specializing in contemporary visual formats.
Aleksandr Karpov, a film and commercial editor, also served as a jury member at the festival. His work has been screened at Clermont-Ferrand, Kinotavr, and Los Angeles CineFest. Aleksandr is the winner of Best Editing & Sound at Cinescape. He has over 10 years of industry experience.
To have a person who has worked with the giants, including Warner Bros, Apple, HBO, and Max, the festival was highly obliged for the kind favour of Alona Ksenofontova to be a jury member. He has over 13 years of industry experience.
Yevgen Petrenko is a director of photography and lighting specialist with artistic education and experience in modern film and television equipment. He has also been on the list for his unique blend of expertise.
Moving on to photography, the festival had an expert in International sports photography on the jury. Kateryna Tytarenko is also the creator of the Aesthetic Motion Synchrography methodology.
To judge the beauty aesthetics, Solomiia Romaniuk served as the expert judge. She is a licensed esthetician and a multiple winner of international beauty championships.
For the aesthetics jury, the festival also enjoyed the verdicts of Kateryna Frumina, who is a designer and founder of La Magnetique. Kateryna Frumina is known for contemporary premium aesthetics and lounge silhouettes.
Ivan Vasiliev (Joseph Auren) also participated as a jury member in the contest. He is a fashion designer based in Berlin with over 15 years of experience. In the industry, he is best known for architectural minimalism and futuristic design.
Valentin Gnezdilov, a leading costume designer with extensive experience in Russian cinema, is a two-time nominee for the Golden Eagle Award.
Maryna Lazorenko is a television producer with over 15 years of experience in major TV formats and has also served on a jury.
Artem Drevelman, founder of the fashion house Drevelman.
Nataliia Iksanova is an art director, designer, artist, and expert in spatial design.
Olga Kamenskaya has been a powerful fit among the jury. He is a vice president of an insurance company, an organizer of large-scale events and celebrations, and, of course, a motivator for thousands of women.
Jemma Russo, a famous fashion designer, also served as a jury member for the event.
Adriana Kostetska is an award-winning producer and director, the founder of Kosta Talent Agency, and the creator of Hollywood Star Studio for children and families.
Arnel San Pedro, MBA. She is a producer and showrunner with over 20 years of experience on major international fashion and film platforms.
Dana Lekus is an International beauty expert, creative director, and beauty technologist with experience in international judging and industry leadership.
Andressa Afonso is a professional makeup artist and beauty educator from Brazil with over 15 years of experience.
Alina Kuznevych is an international hair stylist with numerous awards and professional achievements.
Valeriia Khasanova is a master brow artist, licensed esthetician, and permanent makeup artist, as well as an international educator and beauty expert specializing in advanced brow and lip techniques. He is a World Beauty Championship winner.
Denys Miniailo — Fashion stylist working in runway and editorial projects.
Lyudmila Gromova — Hair expert and international mentor.
Iryna Babych — Photographer ranked in the top 1% worldwide by 35AWARDS.
Yuliia Babych — Hair expert and recipient of international professional awards.
Mikhailo Salai participated as a Music producer for fashion and cultural projects.
Stas Kozub is a Fashion photographer specializing in runway and editorial work.
Dmytro Lukianchuk is a great Videographer and filmmaker focusing on fashion content.
Elizaveta Eremenko, Actress, model, and stand-up comedian, is a graduate of the New York Film Academy. She has been among the festival’s gems.
Elizaveta Kozlova, an internationally recognized soprano known for expressive, dramatic interpretation, performed at Lincoln Centre, Carnegie Hall, Yale School of Music, and venues in Paris, Berlin, and Naples.
Jani Grigoryan — International multidisciplinary visual artist working in street and documentary photography and video-based cultural documentation.
Anastasia Milovskaia — Fashion designer.
Tatiana Abaza – an international beauty expert specializing in eyebrows and permanent makeup.
Margarita Howis – International Visual Artist
Ruslan Evseev – Famous international fashion producer
Photography: The photography of the event was managed by Natalia Mailis (Mailis Media Group)
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