< Arkhangelsk Starts Cinematic Staycation For All>
From January 8 to 11, the holiday time, Arkhangelsk will be screening newly released short and animated films for children and family viewing from around the world. The programme features 16 films that were selected by the 9th International Film Festival ARCTIC OPEN for the category Best Children’s Film.
The organizers are confident that their selection will be of interest not only to children and adolescents, but also for the adult audience.
ARCTIC OPEN Programming Director Angelika Dolinina: “New Year evokes childhood nostalgia, fostering the belief in miracles and making every one of us to want to make wishes. Arctic Open–Children is just bound to immerse you in the sincere world of feelings as experienced by children. It’s a unique selection we have compiled for you that you won’t find elsewhere.”
The shorts and animated films are grouped into four age-appropriate categories.
Made by beginner filmmakers, VGIK alums, and eminent crews based in different countries, they offer curious plots and storylines. The child audience will follow its peers and the choices that they face, while the adults will be able to reflect on the philosophy and message of the short film authors.
Each short film is a kind of parable, a short life story, conveyance of emotions, author’s message not only to children, but also to adults.
World’s Strongest Girl (6+) by young director Sarah Tarekegn is based on Pippi Longstocking, with nine-year-old Moscow schoolgirl Stasia Berezova as the unpredictable Pippi.
India-born filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Sama submitted his debut Sunny-Man (6+), a tender, humorous, and heartwarming short film. “I wanted to tell a story that captures the quiet resilience of a child, the way they dream, adapt, and sometimes love in ways adults often overlook,” shares Sandeep Reddy Sama. Famous screenwriter and producer Ruslan Sorokin provided his short film Emily and Black, a Russia-France co-production and a touching story about friendship and commitment. The film follows 14-year-old Emily who goes to her aunt’s in France for holidays to learn sad news: her childhood friend, a horse named Black, is seriously ill. In a mysterious forest, Emily meets a witch and enters into a deal where she gives her something many cannot live without in exchange for Black’s well-being.
The selection features several animated films. One is by Kazakhstan-born animation artist Zhanna Bekmambetova and is called Son. It follows a wheel-chaired boy and is dedicated to all parents who do not give up.
The creative portfolio of Ekaterina Kozhushanaya, a director, screenwriter and teacher, includes many cartoons created in collaboration with Soyuzmultfilm Studio.
The programme features two auteur-themed cartoons: Dad Cloud and Mom Sun (6+), a day in the life of Asya’s family, and Youth, which follows a rebellious teenager Max.
The story of another boy, a brave one, is followed in Tyrannosaurus Rex by Timur Yunisov, which holds prizes from several Russian film festivals.
Kaleria Kotova’s riveting Dot-And-Dash is about 8-year-old Sasha who goes mute after losing his parents in 1943.
The fairy tale film by Oksana Tsepilova is in the Buryat language and follows the light-minded Yanzhai.
For the first time in its existence, ARCTIC OPEN IFF’s children’s programme features short films from Vietnam, Argentina, and Nepal. Watch them to find out about the children and adolescents in these countries — how they live, what they do, and what they dream about. A good, smart film can work magic, connecting countries and building bridges of friendship and understanding between adults and children.
Arctic Open–Children echoes the 9th International Film Festival ARCTIC OPEN and will be held also during the spring holidays in the Arkhangelsk Region, Komi, St. Petersburg, and Moscow.
For full programme please go to: https://quicktickets.ru/arhangelsk-bereginya
