Eastern Promises

It’s been four years since the first launch of the section that aims to bring you new faces and territories. This year we are taking you to Yakutia to explore its distinctive poetics, agility and creativity hidden beneath the sheet of snow. Yakutian cinema has always been isolated from the rest of the world and therefore became one of the greatest phenomena in contemporary Russian film. Three starting female directors will be introduced. Their approach to the dark sides of the human soul abounds with unique deepness and originality. Then there will be some seasoned masters such as Andrei Konchalovsky or Victor Kossakovsky who will reveal the Russians’ genetic needs to succumb to ideologies. We will look into the lives of the animals we usually see on our daily menus. We will move from Stalin to stables, from witches to young models’ menopause and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Two contemplative art works will please all lovers of fine art; a soulful porn comedy will chase your glooms away.