Two of the best known film schools in the world have been brought together by the British Council to make a series of documentaries about each others' countries, trying to get under the skin and capture what makes that country's heart beat.

4 pairs of young Russian filmmakers from VGIK spent four weeks in London with a crew-members from the NFTS shooting a film about life in the UK, while 4 NFTS student directors shot movies in Moscow with support from a VGIK production team.

Through the project the teams learnt about each others' cinematic traditions, and working practices. The documentaries they made will be screened at film festivals in Autumn 2009 , so that a wider public can appreciate their work.

As part of the project the British Council also donated a selection of UK films to VGIK, and arranged visits by UK producers and directors to discuss the UK film industry. Industry professionals were also invited to meet and discuss the joint projects at the Russian Film Festival in London in September 2008.

Executive Producer NFTS: Jemma Jupp
Head of the International Department VGIK: Tatiana Storchak
Tutor VGIK: Alexei Geleyn
Senior Arts Consultant British Council Moscow: Oksana Romina
Film Advisor British Council UK: Simona Marchegiani