OREANDA-NEWS  The Cinema Foundation has started accepting applications for a new scholarship program "Author" to support young screenwriters, the executive director of the foundation Fyodor Sosnov said at a press conference. The collection of applications will last until February 15, 2023.

It is assumed that the fellows will create screenplays and receive 150 thousand rubles a month during the year.

"The scholarship holder will receive the right to pay for additional education in the field of cinematography, and in educational institutions of the scholarship holder's choice. This education will be paid for within the framework of the program," Sosnov said.

The rights to the created script will belong to the author. The only limitation for the finished work is that only a Russian film company can purchase it.

Anyone who has received an education in the field of film drama over the past ten years can become a participant in the program.

Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova said that there are not enough new specialists in the field of drama, so "there is a need, in addition to general words and reasoning, to move on to some specific decisions and actions from the side, including the state."

Vladimir Tolstoy, Adviser to the President on Cultural Issues, called the "Author" program an attempt to carry out systematic work on finding and training people capable of writing high-quality scripts for national cinema.