Investment Portal of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation
23.11.2022
Northern Character Film Festival Competition in Murmansk Features Over 90 Works
Murmansk hosted the 14th Northern Character International Film Festival on 14–20 November. A total of 95 works were selected for the competition programme this year. The festival was held as part of the plan of events of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023, which are being managed by the Roscongress Foundation.
The winner of the film festival’s grand prix was Russian director Alexander Khant’s crime melodrama In Limbo, which is based on a true story about a rebellion by young people. Yevgeny Grigoryev’s film The Riot won the feature film nomination. The film Polyarnyy, which was directed by Mikhail Starchak and Konstantin Statsky, won the series nomination. The nominations for documentary films up to 90 minutes and documentary films up to 60 minutes were won by director Alexey Golovkov’s film When the Snow Melts and Antarctica. Vostok Station: On the Threshold of the Future, which was directed by Alexander Melnik and Anton Melnik, respectively.
In total, four series, eight feature films, eight documentaries up to 90 minutes, 16 films up to 60 minutes, as well as 14 television programmes and 35 short films were presented at the film festival as part of the competition. The competition was attended by representatives of six countries: Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Sweden. In addition, the festival guests had a chance to view a film from Spain that was which was made jointly with Russia.
The film festival included the Documentary Film Workshop educational programme, which consisted of six master classes. They were held by members of the panel of judges and documentary makers from Moscow. Film director Ivan Tverdovsky attended the festival. He is filming a new full-length film Klykushestvo in the Murmansk Region’s Pechenga District. He presented the work of his graduates’ workshop to the film festival guests.
Feature films were screened at the Mirage Cinema in Murmansk. Short films and documentaries from the competition programme could be viewed during the festival at Murmansk museums, the Palace of Culture, and libraries.
Murmansk has hosted the Northern Character International Film Festival since 2008. The film festival was organized by the Northern Character Production Centre with the support of the Russian Ministry of Culture, the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives, and the Murmansk Region Government.
Russia is the chair of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023. An extensive cultural and sports programme is being implemented as part of its chairmanship, including the Gastronomic Festival of Northern Cuisine, the Teriberka Arctic Festival, the Northern Cultural Forum, the Barents Bird Cultural Festival, and the Golden Raven Arctic International Film Festival.