Sergei Soloviev's Tender Years won the main prize at the Sochi International Film Festival, traditionally a weather vane for Russian cinema as it screens virtually all the year's films to an audience of local professionals.

This year's edition brought the usual array of Russian stars and international critics for parties, sun and sand at the Black Sea resort. But the screenings were judged a disappointment by most participants.

The jury for the Russian competition, which was headed by German actor Udo Kier, awarded its grand prix to Karen Shakhnazarov's Poisons, Or The World History Of Poisonings. Best debut went to Sergei Bodrov's Jr's Sisters. The popular Russian star aims to follow in the footsteps of his famous directing father, the Santa Monica-based Sergei Bodrov.

Best actor was presented to Oleg Yankovsky for Come To Look At Me, which was also his directorial debut. Olga Konskaya won best actress for her role in Andrei Nekrasov's Love And Other Nightmares.

The festival, which runs June 1-13, awarded the grand prix for the international competition to UK writer-director Dom Rotheroe's low-budget feature debut My Brother Tom.