- year : 2023
- country : Russia
- timing : 81:58'
- genre : documentary
- production : SEE MORE Film Studio
written, directed and produced by Mila Kudryashova
DoPs Gavril Starostin, Alexander Krasnovsky, Alexander Shadrin, Ivan Semenov, Alexander Sleptsov, Igor Trukhanov, Alexander Grigoriev, Alexey Solodov
music by Egor Efimov
sound by Alexander Panov, Alexander Dudarev
editor Ksenia Nikitina
cast: Konstanatsia Petrova, Varvara Stepanova, Nariyana Renanto, Tuyara Zhirkova, Galina Veretnova
The documentary is based on the unique images and fascinating stories of five women, five Northerners. The heroines (Galina Veretnova, Constance Petrova, Naryana Renanto, Tuyara Zhirkova, Varvara Stepanova) are the laureates of the Female Voice of the Arctic national contest, which was a part of a media project of the same name. More than one hundred people from eight regions of the Russian Federation took part in the contest. The winners were selected by a professional jury and by audience voting on the social networks of the project. The film consists of three documentary short stories: Constance from Tyanya, Udagan Women and Yohoryo. The guardians of the North share their personal stories and achievements, show the tricks of ethnic crafts and arts, and reveal the meaning of rituals and the secrets of communication with spirits. The heroines completely different from each other. They go through life without forgetting about their national roots. Each of them is a guide to the world of living traditions of their people.
- International Festival of Television Programs and Maritime Documentaries «Man and the Sea» (2023, Russia, Vladivostok)
- International Film Festival «Shape Of Life» (2023, Russia, Perm)
- Golden Eagle Award, Long list (2023, Russia, Moscow)
- Festival des Films Asiatiques (FFA) (2023, Senegal, Dakar)
- Northern Character International Film Festival (2023, Russia, Murmansk)
- Nika Award, Long list (2024, Russia, Moscow)
- Arctic International Film Festival "Golden raven" (2024, Russia, Anadyr)
Director’s statement
Female Voice of the Arctic is one of the most personal projects that I ever took on. It’s bound to my family’s history. My grandmother and grandfather were among the “Komsomol Volunteers” who, shortly before the outbreak of World War II, took part in the Soviet government’s massive endeavor - “The Red Chum” or “Red Tent”, dedicated to the reclamation of the vast regions of the Arctic and aid to the first nations of the tundra.
Their main goal was the liquidation of illiteracy. The “Red Chums” or “Red Tents” had their own sleighs, pulled by reindeer. Members of these organizations taught adults to read and write; they provided medical and veterinary care; spearheaded their “political education”; organized the public readings of newspapers, journals and books, as well as public screenings of movies.
It's clear that my family - and partially myself, as a direct descendant of “Soviet missionaries” - bear the responsibility for the fate of the “enlightened nations”, for their historic leap from the disintegration of primitive societies to the stage of “developed socialism”. According to the northern tradition, the woman is the keeper of the hearth and culture, and her fate reflects the historic path of a nation’s development, which the Arctic went through during the course of 70 years, since the start of the “Red Chum” program.
Our film, on one end, counters globalization and the disintegration of borders, on the other hand - takes up an active position, bringing a part of our culture and way of life into the modern reality.
The movie consists of three novellas, dedicated to the women of the Arctic, women who not only safeguard traditions, but take an active part in their community - no matter whether it’s a small settlement or a metropolis.
The storyline pivots on a situation, which demands for the protagonist to mobilize all of her inner strength - whether in sadness or in joy, or in a turning part of her career and life.
The main method that we used here was observation. Undoubtedly, the whole thing is a first-person narrative, a narrative about a woman’s life, her joys and troubles. But we will observe an important even in a protagonist’s life, an event that allows one to speak in a full voice.
The core of the storyline is the protagonist’s preparation for an important event (a wedding, a jubilee, a loved one’s memorial day, a performance, and finally - the making of an important decision that will change the life and fate of her and her family). All of these events give agency to the female protagonists of our time, they will show their position, the vector of their personal development and their unique place in the typology of modern women. Examining the harmony of their self, we are especially interested in the balance between their family’s traditions and the desire to move ahead, to the fruits of civilization.
In our storytelling we wanted to include footage from our protagonist’s home videos, which they agreed to film for our project. It was also possible to include rare archival footage, which will appear when we will talk about the unique rituals and the Arctic gurus that the protagonist treasures. The protagonists were chosen in such a way that each would represent not only her own ethnos, but also her own character, temperament, position in life, family and social statues. They’re all united by one thing - their active position in life. We were first and foremost interested in those protagonists, who could be seen as an example to their respective nations and who could open new horizons to the public.
ABOUT THE FILM DIRECTOR:
Mila Kudryashova was born on 09.01.1975 in Russia. Graduated from the Saint Petersburg State University as a journalist. Member of the Union of Journalists of Russia and the International Union of Journalists. Member of the Union of Cinematographers of Russia. Member of the Guild of Non-fiction Films and Television.
FILMOGRAPHY:
2023 - "Female Voice of the Arctic", documentary
2023 - "Potapov@Doc", documentary
2023 - "Chyskyray - Sakha Woman", documentary
2023 - "The Female Voice of the Arctic", documentary
2020 - "My Personal Dragon", documentary
2020 - "Friedolf Heck. From Sea To Sea", documentary
2019 - "Okhansky Elephant", documentary
2015-2013 - "Meet the Senator!" documentary series
2013 - "Alexander Vampilov. Chulimsk Forever", documentary
2006 - "Ugly Swans: How A Movie Is Made", documentary
