Representatives of Six Countries To Present Their Works at Northern Character Film Festival in Murmansk

Murmansk will host the 14th Northern Character International Film Festival on 14–20 November as part of the plan of events of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023, which are being organized by the Roscongress Foundation.

The film festival competition will feature 95 entries: 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. The competition will be attended by representatives of six countries: Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Sweden. In addition, the festival guests will have a chance to view a film from Spain, which was created jointly with Russia.

“An extensive educational programme has been prepared for people who dream of making documentary films. The Documentary Film Workshop will consist of six master classes. They will be run by members of a panel of judges, as well as Moscow documentary makers Yelena Vasyukova and Daria Khrenova. Four more master classes will be held by representatives of the film company 1, 2, 3 Production, which filmed the TV series Polyarny. They plan to shoot several TV series in our region next year, including Polyarny 3, so they are interested in local specialists who can work on the film set. The film company will hold a film laboratory in Murmansk to train them as part of the festival,” Northern Character International Film Festival President Svetlana Soldatova said.

The film festival’s panel of judges will include 10 people and will be chaired by Belarusian Union of Cinematographers member Galina Adamovich. In addition, the panel will include representatives of Sweden, Armenia, Serbia, and Russia.

Screenings of feature films will kick off on 16 November at the Mirage Cinema in Murmansk. Short films and documentaries from the competition programme can be viewed during the festival on 14–20 November at Murmansk museums and libraries.

In addition, Murmansk will host the film forum ‘Russian Cinema. The Way to the Regional Audience” on 19 November as part of the film festival. The forum participants will discuss the promotion of films shot in the Russian regions.

Murmansk has hosted the Northern Character International Film Festival since 2008. Last year, more than 10,000 people in three countries – Russia, Norway, and Sweden – watched the festival offline. The online festival has generated over 50,000 views. The Northern Character Grand Prix was awarded to the film Coupe No. 6 last year.

The film festival is being organized by the Northern Character Production Centre with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, 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.