“Heart of Baikal” film festival was held from October 18 to 24 in Irkutsk. The goal of the film festival is to revive classic spiritual, moral, and family values such as devotion in marriage. Famous Russian theater and film actors agreed to take part in the festival. Among them were Victoria Tarasova, Marina Yakovleva, Oleg Akulich, Yelena Biryukova, Tatiana Sudets, Yuri Nazarov, Lyudmila Maltseva, Nikolai Lekarev, Leonid Serebrennikov, Natalia Gvozdikova and many others. Polish director Krzysztof Zanussi, the president of the “Heart of Baikal” film festival, and Fedor Dobronravov, People's Artist of Russia and the new artistic director for the national “In the Family” project also took part.

      Krzysztof Zanussi is a Polish producer and film director. He is a professor of European film at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland and at the Silesian University in Katowice. He appeared as himself in Camera Buff (1979), a film about an amateur film maker, directed by his friend Krzysztof Kieślowski. His 1989 film Inventory was entered into the 16th Moscow International Film Festival. His 2000 film Life as a Fatal Sexually Transmitted Disease won the Golden St. George at the 22nd Moscow International Film Festival. His 2002 film The Supplement was entered into the 24th Moscow International Film Festival where it won the FIPRESCI Special Mention.

      The festival featured films by directors from Russia, Belarus, Finland, Australia, India, China, the Netherlands, Colombia, Belgium and Switzerland.