< ARCTIC OPEN: 2,806 SUBMISSIONS FROM 106 COUNTRIES>
The first day of October marked the closing by the 8th International Arctic Film Festival ARCTIC OPEN of its submission call. Scheduled for December 5-8, the ARCTIC OPEN 2024 will take place in Arkhangelsk, Severodvinsk, Novodvinsk and more municipalities in the Arkhangelsk Province.
The selection panel has received a total of 2,806 submissions from filmmakers in 106 countries. Most of the submissions originate from Russia, followed Iran, India, Turkey, USA, Brazil, China, Spain, France, and Italy.
Traditionally, the overwhelming majority are shorts (1,700). Documentaries number 553 and feature length films 272. Youth films, with 281 submissions, constitute a special section.
Of all the submissions received, the selection panel is to shortlist for screening at the Arctic Open venues approximately 50. Along with the official selection, where will be an extensive list of films selected for non-competition screening.
«The selection panel is now due to start compiling its shortlist and will announce it on November 10. As for the program of the Arctic Open 2024, I know for sure there will be a retrospective screening of the films by Gunilla Bresky, a Swedish filmmaker who repeatedly admitted the huge role Russia played in her evolution as a film director.
Gunilla first chose Russia as her filming location in April 1996, and the city of Arkhangelsk was the first destination on her journey into the world of Russian people. Here Gunilla set her first documentary, Little Katya, which follows the life of a Russian girl named Katya during the turbulent ’90s. Gunilla Bresky has been to Russia many times ever since, dedicating a great portion of her work to the theme of World War II.
Of Gunilla Bresky’s six documentaries dedicated to WWII, especially remarkable are two – I Stop Time (based on the Russian war photographer Vladislav Mikosha’s diaries and photographs) and Night Witches (about the female fighter pilots in Night Bomber Regiment). Gunilla’s characters are warm, affectionate people. Some are passionate dreamers, others are heroes who, when facing fear, look so real that you start to believe you’ve known them for years. One more film to premiere in Russia as part of the Gunilla Bresky film retrospective is We Are Still Here. It tells the story of a group of Sámi artists, the so-called ‘Máze Group,’ eight young, idealistic Sámi artists and activists whose work in the 1970s celebrated their cultural identity. The film uses the music by Johan Saras, an indigenous resident of Máze village who rose to fame as a musician», said Angelika Dolinina, ARCTIC OPEN IFF Programming Director.
The festival is yet to finalize the membership of its jury. The four jury panels are to select the best in four categories – feature films, shorts, documentaries, and youth films.
