Golden Eagle Award (Russia)

Golden Eagle Award
The Golden Eagle statue
Awarded for	Excellence in cinematic achievements
Country	Russia
Presented by	National Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences of Russia
First awarded	25 January 2002
Official website	Official site of the National Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences of Russia

The Golden Eagle Award (Russian: премия Золотой Орёл) is an accolade by the National Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences of Russia to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, directors, actors, and writers. Modelled after the American Golden Globe Awards, the formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is one of the most prominent award ceremonies in Russia, alongside the Nika Award. The national Russian accolade is given out in 20 categories each January for motion pictures and TV series produced in Russia during the previous year. The awarding statuette is a silver eagle, originally made from copper with a jade pedestal, and was designed by sculptor Viktor Mitroshin. The design was later altered by the Spanish company Carrera y Carrera. The award was conceived by Nikita Mikhalkov as a counterweight to the Nika Award established in 1987 and run by the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences in Moscow.

The Golden Eagle Award was founded on 4 March 2002 by the National Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Russia. At the XXIV Moscow International Film Festival on 26 June 2002, the Golden Eagle was officially inaugurated by the National Academy of Cinematographic Sciences. Winners were Andrei Tarkovsky, George Zhzhyonov, Fyodor Khitruk, Tatiana Samoilova, Michel Legrand, and Bernardo Bertolucci. The Golden Eagle Award was modelled by film director Nikita Mihalkov after the Golden Globe Awards as a counterweight to the Nika Award, established in 1987 and run by the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences in Moscow.