Sitora Shokhinovna Alieva () â film expert, director of the IFF âÂÂFaces of loveâ and the IIF Sochi, artistic director of the largest Russian national film festival âÂÂKinotavrâÂÂ, official delegate of Warsaw International Film Festival, lecturer at film schools and universities, juror at numerous film festivals, including Berlinale, Venice Film Festival, etc. Member of European Film Academy.
Sitora Alieva was born in 1963 in Dushanbe, Tajik SSR. She made her film debut as an actress at the age of 7. In the following 9 years she had played about ten roles in different art and television films. In 1987 Alieva graduated from the scriptwriting and film history department ( class) of the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in Moscow. Then she worked for Tajikfilm in Dushanbe and in 1991 promoted Tajik films at different venues around the world including Moscow International Film Festival.
In 1991 she moved to Moscow and then began to work as , "Iskusstvo Kino" editor-in-chief, referent (1993-1996). In 1993 she began to work at âÂÂKinotavrâ conglomerate ran by , and in 1999 became the director of its festival branches: IFF Sochi, IFF âÂÂFaces of Loveâ and the International Children's Arts Festival âÂÂâ (1999-2005).
In 2005, after the âÂÂKinotavrâ brand was bought by Alexander Rodnyansky, only Russian part of the festival was left, IIF Sochi and IFF âÂÂFaces of Loveâ were stopped. Alieva has become the permanent artistic director of the Open Russian Film Festival âÂÂKinotavrâ â the largest national film festival of the country for now (the edition of Kinotavr-2022 is cancelled).
Also, as a film expert and a festival professional, she lectures in Russia and abroad.
Since 90-s Alieva has been taking part in juries of numerous international, national, the CIS and the Baltics, student and short film festivals, including:
In 2007-2010 Sitora Alieva had been Russia's official delegate of the Rome International Film Festival.
Strating from 2007 - official delegate of the Warsaw International Film Festival.
Having such an active international festival life, being part of an extensive international festival network and the main national film festival selector at the same time make Sitora one of the key figures in promoting new Russian cinema at the international film festival scene.