SUBMIT YOUR FILM Rus Eng
17-27 September
ABOUT FESTIVAL PRESIDENT FESTIVAL TEAM PROJECTS PRESS ABOUT US FESTIVAL ARCHIVE

ABOUT

Baikal International Film Festival of Documentary and Popular-Science Films “People and Environment” named after V. Rasputin has been taking place in Irkutsk since 1999 (annually since 2007). Baikal International Film Festival was founded by The Union of Filmmakers of the Russian Federation and its Irkutsk regional branch and it’s held with the support of The Ministry of Culture and The Government of Irkutsk region.

The festival of "pure cinema" on the shore of the cleanest lake on the planet aims to raise the ecological consciousness by means of cinema.


Objectives of the Festival:

  • to draw attention to environmental problems and instill a sense of responsibility in citizens for the fate of their country and the planet as a whole;

  • to unite and encourage filmmakers creating films about the relationship between humans and nature;

  • to develop creative connections between filmmakers and viewers, as well as within the film community of Russia and other countries.

The Festival is designed as a platform that encourages to reflect on the complex relationship between people and nature and educates the younger generation. Therefore, along with competitive and thematic programs that attract different viewers, the focus is always on working with educational institutions – schools and universities.

The Festival accepts documentaries and popular science films. In addition to the competition program, there are non-competitive screenings: the opening film of the Festival and a special screening. Traditionally, within the framework of the Festival, meetings and discussions of films with authors, master classes from masters of documentary film, round tables, and public events are held.

Since then, more than 500 films from 93 countries have participated in the competition program of the People and Environment Film Festival.

The Festival jury evaluates projects in the following categories:

  • Grand Prix (including 300,000 Russian rubles award);
  • Best Documentary Film n.a. M. Romm;
  • Best Popular-Science Film n.a. I. Cherskiy;
  • Best Feature Film n.a. L. Gaidai;
  • Best Animated Film;
  • The Baikal Award – for the severity of the problem (to a film about the most pressing environmental problems);

The Festival Jury reserves the right to award a film from any category with a special diploma.

Over the years, the jury of the People and Environment Film Festival was composed of:

- Georgy Negashev, documentary filmmaker from Yekaterinburg, president of the Open Russia Film Festival;

- Lev Nikolaev, twice winner of the Russian Federation National Award, full member of the Academy of Natural Sciences and member of the Russian TV Academy, President of the Civilization TV Company;

- Viktor Kosakovsky, documentary filmmaker from St. Petersburg, winner of the Russian Federation National Award, member of the European Film Academy, winner of the Triumph and Nika Awards, winner of more than a hundred prizes at international film festivals;

- Viktor Lisakovich, VGIK Professor, People's artist of Russia, recipient of the USSR State Prize, author and director of more than 120 films.

- Leonid Monchinsky, writer.

- Annette Gourdon, producer. She is one of the experts of the the MEDIA sub-programme of Creative Europe. She also writes scripts for documentaries. In 2006, she founded Alisa Productions.

- Yevgeny Grigoriev, theater and film director, producer, screenwriter. Board member of the Union of Cinematographers, member of the Public Council under the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, founder of the First Cinema studio. Winner of a large number of national cinema awards.

- Pavel Pechenkin, film director, producer, lecturer, board member of the Union of Cinematographers of Russia, academician of the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences Nika, Chairman of the National Association of Film Festivals, member of the Expert Council of the Federal Agency for Culture and Cinematography, board member of the Guild of Non-fiction Films and Television. Since 2005, he has been the head of the State Film Center | Permkino where he created the Perm Cinemateque project, a regional structure for the implementation of educational film programs. One of the first independent film studios in the USSR, Novy Kurs (New Course), was established in Perm on his initiative and under his leadership, as well as the Flahertiana International Documentary Film Festival.

- Enrique Fonte, director and producer of fulldome films, has been promoting scientific knowledge about the surrounding reality in the field of planetariums, and digital dome cinemas with immersive effects for more than 30 years. Director of the Planetraios Digitales company engaged in the design, сoncepts development, and equipment of planetariums and full-dome cinemas. Kalakmul Studios executive. It is a studio created with the Science and Technology Council of Mexico support specifically for the production of experimental documentaries.

- Kristin Buchner, documentary filmmaker, teacher, and one of the founders of the family film studio Buchner Film Productions. Together with her brother Tobias Buchner she produces and shots films in Europe.

- Vladimir Grammatikov, Honored artist of the Russian Federation, winner of the Russian Federation Presidential Certificate of Honour, creative producer of Disney in Russia. Director of the Gorky Film Studio during 1998-2002. Notable works include the comedy Mustached Nanny (1977), the rock opera the Star and Death of Joaquin Murieta (1982), and the film Mio min Mio (1987).

- Yuri Yermolin, winner of the Russian Federation Government Prize. Winner of the International Film Festival People and Environment 2001 for Best Cinematography (Natural Selection). Collaborates with the BBC, National Geographic, Discovery, and History Channel. Winner of the Emmy (USA), Golden Bear (Berlin), Golden Camera (Los Angeles), Hugo Silver (Chicago), Golden Eagle, Niki, and TEFI (Moscow) Awards.

- Irina Uralskaya. Author of more than 70 documentaries and more than 100 stories for various newsreels and TV programs (Moscow). She actively cooperates with RISK, Mosfilm, Lenfilm and other film studios, as well as with various TV companies. Member of the Union of Cinematographers and the Guild of Cinematographers. Recipient of the Nika Award for Best Cinematography (Harvest Time, 2005). Recipient of the Russian Federation Government Prize for culture (2005) for the trilogy Legends of the Silver Age.

Festival Prize

The work Melosira by Olga Belozerova


The image of the Baikal Region as the "ancient crown of Asia", with the purest water of Lake Baikal and the mighty Siberian rivers. There is an interesting and still unexplained phenomenon of the so-called highly productive "Melosira years" on Lake Baikal. Every few years, the spring reproduction of algae is so massive that it exceeds the usual several times. In these years, if you scoop up Baikal water from an ice hole you will see a brown suspension in a bucket. Sometimes the water has so many algae that it not only loses its transparency but also changes the colour. This significant growth also contributes to a more intensive development of all living creatures – the entire biomass of Lake Baikal. This phenomenon supports and protects the entire ecosystem of Lake Baikal. The algae that condition this growth come from the genus Melosira, which means "string of beads" in Greek. Sculptural composition Melosira symbolizes these Melosira years as the maximum abundance of the fertility of the lake Baikal. The seal is a symbol of Lake Baikal and is endemic to it.


Each prize is decorated with a special semi-precious stone, and the stands are made of cedar.
We thank the Baikalkvarsamotsvety company for providing semi-precious stones for the prizes of the Festival.

Система управления сайтом HostCMS