The medal is named after Mikhail Chekhov, the renowned Russian-American actor, director and theatre practitioner, a student of Konstantin Stanislavski and nephew of the writer Anton Chekhov. This international distinction is awarded to outstanding artists in recognition of their contribution to the development of film and theatre. Previous recipients include some of the most prominent figures on the international artistic scene, such as Helen Mirren, Nikita Mikhalkov, Maya Plisetskaya, Peter Ustinov, Yul Brynner and Marina Vlady.

The presentation of the medal to Lazar Ristovski recognises his decades-long career, during which he has delivered numerous acclaimed performances and made a significant contribution to Serbian and international cinema.

 

 

Ristovski attended the ceremony in Moscow in person, where he expressed his gratitude for the award and spoke of how deeply moving the evening had been for him. Addressing the audience in Russian, he emphasised how pleased he was to be among his hosts and friends, and recalled the traditionally close ties between the Serbian and Russian peoples. He also thanked the festival director, Sergey Zaitsev, the jury members, organisers and audience for the honour and warm welcome.