“Interest in Russia was, is and always will be” – BBC

Organizers opening in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Festival “Land of Light” told “Gazeta.ru” a “Chinese Mikhalkov” ties between Russia and Asia, and how self-Sakhalin.

August 21 in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk opened the fifth International Film Festival “Land of Light”. The festival program includes paintings from around the world, as well as a number of parallel programs and a variety of workshops, exhibitions and so on. On the eve of the festival “Times” interviewed the general producer of “end of the world” Alexei Agranovich and program director of the festival Alexey Medvedev.

– I can not ask affected if somehow the festival loud change of Sakhalin Governor Alexander Khoroshavin?

Alex Agranovich: With a new team (in the leadership area), we, of course, to build that relationship again. “End of the Earth” backed by Acting Governor. We meet, and the first joint festival is best to tell us about each other.

– The economic and political situation in Russia is somehow affected the program?

Agranovich: The budget “end of the world – 2015 “I was approved last year, and the amount of funding compared to last year was slightly increased. On the one hand, during this time the money much cheaper. On the other – have been formed there with a number of filmmakers who want to show their films at our festival, and “End of the World” today on the exchange rate depends on a little less than it could. Therefore, being approximately the same financial framework, this year we do more than in the past. In addition, there are economic laws reputation and enthusiasm, our good mates. As for the political situation, it is better to tell the program director of the festival.

Alexey Medvedev: The fact that the festival – is the kind of thing that is built on a rather delicate matter, I would not even call it a friendship … Just at the “end of the world” has a reputation. When the director sees that the jury were, for example, Vadim Abdrashitov and Jia Zhangke, he understands that we can deal with. Therefore, cases where a person refuses to go to Russia is extremely rare.

Agranovich: It is still easier. Interest in Russia was, is and always will be. But interest in the Sakhalin festival is held still and the uniqueness of the place on a map. We do not bother, on the contrary, we try to play with it, and in different ways. Even the title of the festival this game there is – at the same time we are talking about a place on earth, and that locus where the light from the screen meets the viewer’s perception. There is a kind of diffusion, a unique communication of the artist and the viewer. All this is done solely for the residents of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, we show them, on the one hand, as far as the interests of Sakhalin Region, the guests and participants of the festival, and on the other – that in order to live a full life, rich wonderful and unique events, it is not necessary to seek in some unknown distance, but you can just look around and reconfigure optics.

When we started to work in Sakhalin, I asked myself why this region, rich in oil and other minerals, the unique nature and landscape, the people leave? Where?

And now imagine how the life of Sakhalin. He watches TV, where he tells about life in a country that does not correspond to anything of what he sees around him. And it seems to him that what he lives – this is not real life. Our festival we do in many ways to destroy this mythology. Sakhalin Island – a wonderful intercultural space where Europe meets Asia, and we are trying to fill this space with pure oxygen, to make Sakhalin a place where people talk to people.

– Now, tell us briefly about the program.

Medvedev: We have this movie a whole year, so that and talk about it may be about the same ( laughing ). The central place is occupied by the competition program – for it is given two seats in primetime on the main festival site, in the theater of Chekhov, located in front of the Government House. In the contest of ten works, his concept is that Russia meets Asia. The program includes three Russian film – “The Seagull” Ella Manzheeva “Cloth Union” Michael Mestetsky and “Salvation” Ivan Vyrypaeva. And in domestic films we often interested in the history of any regional or Asian theme. In foreign competition films we fix on neighbors: Sakhalin almost 10% of ethnic Koreans, China – the most important economic partner, while Japan – a common history roots. Accordingly, in the competition, for example, new, Korean-Japanese work, Kim Ki-Duk, “Stop.” I also want to mention the movie “The most expensive” Chinese director Peter Chan, whom I call the “Chinese Mikhalkov”, – he produces a lot of shoots and Chinese blockbusters, including with Hollywood stars. He works in the author’s cinema – a film he will present the competition.

In the competition also Indian, Turkish, Armenian painting …

With regard to the non-competition program, we note program “Neighbors. Friends”. It is dedicated, on the one hand, Asian cinema, and on the other – the director, who for five years of the “end of the world” managed to present us their pictures. By the present moment such a huge number of people turned out, and quite famous. From Russian producers is not the first time we come Alexey Fedorchenko Anna Melikyan.

We have held several world premieres.

Another important point – a program “The most important thing,” which is not recorded in the Asia. This picture, which, in our opinion, will be played in 10 and 20 years. This year’s program includes, say “Taxi” Jafar Panahi, “Pigeon perched on a branch, thinking about the meaning of life,” Roy Andersson, as well as the films are less obvious – for example, the Indian “Heder” – a three-hour modern version of “Hamlet.” Will be shown and Cannes hits like “Assassin” Hou Hsiao-Hsien. Finally, the festival will be showing films jury chairman Mohsen Makhmalbaf.

– How many paintings will be shown at the festival?

Medvedev: In the past year we had about 60 films, However, only full meters – 67 or 68. If we assume with animation and short film, you get much more than a hundred.

– Animations and short films also focus on individual programs?

Medvedev: Yes, with cartoons all somehow it happened – We have several programs dedicated to animation. They initially suggests – there are parallels, Japan – Russia, Miyazaki – Norstein, Totoro – Cheburashka – it’s twins ( laughing ). As for the short film, then a separate program at the festival there, but we have ambitious plans to develop a short film on Sakhalin.

Agranovich: Yes, unlike most of the festivals that take place in Russia, “The Edge of the World” – originally a project of social-oriented, as I said, on the residents of Sakhalin on assistance in solving a number of social problems facing the region. One of them – a small number of opportunities for self-realization for young people with an active lifestyle. Therefore, we are building within the program rather complex internal connections to make the festival as interactive as possible.

– What do you mean?

Agranovich: It is very important communication between the audience and the authors. This year the festival introduced a strict rule: if a painting competition can not come one of its creators, the film can not participate in the competition. Traditional festival meetings with authors for us is one of the pillars on which is “Edge of the World.” These conversations are collected a huge number of people – in the past year, you understand, we had about 25 thousand. Attendance festival events. For a city with a population dvuhsotdvadtsatitysyachnym this will agree, is a good result. This suggests that the festival for five years, appeared credibility.

– Let’s go back to the social component, you spoke about .

Agranovich: Yes, of course. For the third year, the festival is functioning workshop “Caucasian-Asian” – it emerged from the weekly workshop during the third festival of Sakhalin. It was found that had accumulated a certain number of caring people who are interested in doing a movie. And what they do. We looked at the results and decided to show them right at the closing ceremony of the festival. And then we decided that young people should not be thrown, and then within a year they flew from Moscow professional filmmakers with master classes, and last year the whole workshop participated in the filming of “The Last” Julia Levitsky, head of the studio. This is a film on the theme of Sakhalin, there are the Ainu, the legendary people of Sakhalin, and we will show it this year. This year we are also the first to hold a workshop entitled “Artfon” – the fact that the shooting equipment is too expensive, and we will give you the opportunity to learn to speak the language of the movie to anyone who has a smartphone. Finally, this year

under the “end of the world” will hold the first Sakhalin pitching ideas for films and present the project to create a regional Film Foundation.

Thus began three years ago with amateur cinema circles, today we would like to enter the complete project development of regional cinema – and an example of Yakutia said that it is quite possible. In addition to the part of the film we have two more activities. Last year we launched the workshop “DIY”, dedicated to urban planning.

The problem of the appearance of the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the problem of the urban fabric of the island is very serious. We told the children how to solve some problems of the city, without being professional architects. How to learn to speak with the city, because the city – it is also the language, and we are all in it speak.

The workshop was held, and the guys who participated in it, created the Association Friends of “Do It Yourself” . This year, the workshop continues its work and on the penultimate day of the festival will present the results of their studies. Finally, we set up the third workshop titled “Photographica.” It is not difficult to guess, it is dedicated to photography – another accessible language of communication, which we hope to educate Sakhalin. The subject of study of this workshop will be the festival, the best works will be on a daily basis in a slideshow format presented in the theater on the square, as well as a photograph of participants, we made a special edition of the festival newspaper “The Edge of the World”. All of these activities we need only one – we teach people to speak in different visual languages. Festival – it’s about a dialogue between man and man, and the more for this dialogue will be opportunities – the better.