< Arkhangelsk’s 9th ARCTIC OPEN IFF Changes Its Format>
The 9th International Film Festival ARCTIC OPEN has received more than 2,500 submissions from 156 countries. Of them, 333 entered the long list representing 16 countries. However, the year 2025 will not see the festival screening its selection for lack of funding.
The organizers will, instead, curtail the 9th ARCTIC OPEN IFF to a short series of theme events and screenings.
The long list features the films by experienced and first-time cinematographers based in Russia, Iran, India, China, Argentina, Turkey, USA, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Nepal, Spain, Mexico, Philippines, Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, France, among other countries. With many of them ARCTIC OPEN maintains long-lasting connections. The Iranian filmmakers, who participated last year and experienced the Russian North, said they wanted to return to Arkhangelsk to make a live-action documentary.
“We thank everyone who stood by us all these years for your trust and friendship, for your interest in the North and the Arctic, and for your love to our audiences who never stayed indifferent. We would also like to thank our regular partners – film companies, agencies, journalists, film critics, volunteers, and teams of local museums, schools and cultural institutions. Our past projects have received an enormous amount of support from The Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives, The Russian Presidential Grants Foundation, Arkhangelsk Region Ministry of Culture, and the Northern (Arctic) Federal University. Over the eight years of its existence, ARCTIC OPEN gained extensive experience organizing unique film venues and awareness-raising programs, giving further impetus to the creative industries operating in the field of film production here in the Arkhangelsk Region.
. What we also managed to do is bring together the animation artists in the area and from across the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation. Up and running are new animation studios and film associations. New collaborations are in place – with drama theaters, plastic arts, theater and film writers, motion designers – to release more series of sketch films and innovative projects. Here in this area, film cooperation now involves education teams and film club networks. Our film marathons run on an annual basis, embracing eleven regions of the country. ARCTIC OPEN was able to screen its official selection in Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, and Syktyvkar. We are confident that all this has been worth the effort, but for now we have to put the festival on hold. This doesn’t mean our work will stop, however. We’ll be working to re-format our venues, hoping that next year the 10th ARCTIC OPEN is back to its original format,” says Tamara Statikova, ARCTIC OPEN IFF Director.
December 2025 will see Arkhangelsk hosting the Indian Cinema Days. In January-February 2026, pursuant with the RF President-endorsed program toward increased awareness of foreign public on the history and culture of the peoples of the Russian Federation and promotion of the Russian culture, the International Film Festival ARCTIC OPEN will be showcased at the Russian House of Science and Culture in Berlin.
ARCTIC OPEN Children will be screening its program of children’s and family films during the winter holidays.
