< Arkhangelsk’s ARCTIC OPEN to Screen Four Films at The Russian House in Berlin>
The audience will see modern Russian films and learn about Russia’s northern area — Arkhangelsk. Preceding each screening will be a promo video showcasing the land of Pomors’ landmark sights. The first screening is scheduled for January 22.
The programme for the Russian House in Berlin, which echoes Arkhangelsk’s ARCTIC OPEN IFF, features four films — three feature films and one documentary. Of them, two are the debut full-length films by beginner directors based in Russia: Fyodor Kudryavtsev’s Peer and Kirill Sultanov’s Summer Will Come. The mockumentary New Berlin is by famous Yekaterinburg-based filmmaker Alexei Fedorchenko. Closing the programme will be the documentary musical Voices Of The Arctic by Ivan Vdovin.
The four films were selected by the experts of the Russian House in Berlin based on the audience preferences. All film screenings are free.
“For several years now, our site has been a ‘mirror’ of the Russian film festivals,” says Pavel Izvolsky, Director of the Russian House in Berlin. “We are confident that what is going on in the Russian filmmaking should be made known and accessible to both our compatriots and the local audience. Our goal is to showcase the evolution of the Russian filmmaking, including its independent effort. When selecting the films, we looked at whether they had popular appeal, were recent releases, and if they showed a distinct style.” All the selected films fully meet these criteria.
Polina Avetikova, a producer of the travel documentary Voices Of The Arctic, believes that the Russian House in Berlin is “exactly the platform for us to start and maintain a dialogue with the European public, as well as to tell about the indigenous peoples of Russia and their way of life. I am proud to participate in the RHB programme — it highlights the relevance and decent level of our project.” The film’s main character, Denis Simachev, a famous fashion designer, DJ and sound producer, embarks on an expedition across the Russian Arctic in search of unique melodies.
Peer is director and screenwriter Fyodor Kudryavtsev’s debut feature-length film. Shot in the genre of pseudo-documentary, it combines a start cast of Anna Mikhalkova, Alexander Yatsenko, and Daniil Spivakovsky. The trick is that the characters appear in the film today and in the ’90s, rejuvenated with the help of neural networks.
“This film was being made for a very long time and embraces different eras,” says Fyodor Kudryavtsev. “Its script was written in the time of Covid, but it wasn’t until 2022 that we started filming it. Editing was completed in 2024. The context changed every six months. I can’t even tell what it’s like right now. I hope that while viewing this 87-minute film you will find yourself in the timelessness of youth, in which any time period is the best. Greetings from Moscow.”
Greetings from Moscow are conveyed to the Berlin audience also with the youth drama Summer Will Come, starring Mark Edelstein. Though, location does not matter here — such is the mysterious plot of this film. Presenting it in Berlin will be its co-producer Elena Lazareva.
Alexey Fedorchenko, who lives and works in Yekaterinburg, is a prominent representative of Russia’s independent filmmaking. His work will be represented by the mockumentary New Berlin.
“These films entered the official selection of Arctic Open IFF and multiple major Russian film festivals, winning awards and accolades. I think it is important that Arctic Open IFF — which is working to bring the most exciting, off beat and relevant films of today — can serve the viewers abroad by raising their awareness of the Russian filmmaking. In this partnership, we can also draw attention to the Russian North — the province of Arkhangelsk known for its rich history, culture, and special, even divine, landscape,” Tamara Statikova, Arctic Open IFF Executive Director.
The team at the Russian House in Berlin are unanimous with Tamara Statikova: “We view our cooperation with this festival as an opportunity to showcase a Russian region and to delight our audience with new, independent releases. The promo video, which will go before the screenings, is designed to arouse interest in the region of Arkhangelsk. Basically, we would like our cooperation with Arctic Open IFF to become annual and involve films for adult audience and family viewing.”
Info: The Russian House of Science and Culture in Berlin is the largest arm of Rossotrudnichestvo in the Federal Republic of Germany. In pursuance of the RF President Decree to promote the Russian culture, the RHSC is working to facilitate connections between Russia and Germany in the field of culture, humanities, science and education, as well as to support the Russians living in Germany and to popularize the Russian culture and language.
