RFW 2019: The Best Film on Ecology: Winner of The Golden Unicorn Awards 2019

The goal of The Best Film on Ecology award is to increase awareness about various ecological issues by bringing them to the attention of the foreign audience. This initiative is a result of a collaboration between Sibur and the Golden Unicorn Awards, whose main goal is to support talented directors and film makes in creating good quality content on environmental issues in Russia.

This year selection covers various topics starting from tackling the ecological catastrophe of Baikal lake to cleaning Arctic islands from waste and observing the water contamination in Indonesia.

Nomination Films:

Father Baikal
A documentary about a sculptor, Dashi Namdakov, and about the work of his lifetime – ‘Father Baikal’. The sculptures of Dashi are well-known internationally, they are bought in Britain, New Zealand, France, Finland, Taiwan, China, Spain, Italy, Russia and Kazakhstan. His works are purchased by philanthropists all over the world and his exhibitions are being held in the best museums. Modern scientists confirm that the state of the Baikal lake is an ecological catastrophe. The sculpture ‘Father Baikal’ and the documentary aims to shine light on the ecological problems in Siberia.

Director: Marina Maria Mel’nik
Duration: 84 minutes
Russia, 2018

The Land of Bears
The bear is a petrifying giant, a symbol of power and might. Humans dreamt of having an ancestor like that, competing with bears for centuries and practically eliminating them as a species. But humans don’t become stronger when they are in battle but rather when they are in love, and by taking care of the bears. ‘The Land of Bears’ is a film about a place where the love of humans and bears is mutual. You have never seen this side of bears before.

Director: Daria Hrenova
Duration: 52 minutes
Russia, 2018

The Wounded Island
A vacation on the North Pole. And not just any vacation – hard work in the name of a better future. This is the preferred type of getaway from civilisation of the volunteers of ‘Green Arctic’, an ecological and socially responsible organisation in Russia. As soon as they finish working on one island, they move to another one. Pavel Handorin, as one of the participants of the expedition, directed a film about the legacy of the past and the struggle for making history.

Director: Pavel Handorin
Duration: 37 minutes
Russia, 2018

The Poisonous Waters of Indonesia
Many fishermen can be seen on this river even though there is no fish to be found. They are, in fact, fishing for garbage. The Citarum river in the Indonesian province of West Java is the most polluted river on the planet. Businesses dump over 280 tonnes of waste in it on a daily basis, meanwhile the locals use it at a sewage and a garbage bin even though they then use it for everyday life and agriculture. As a result, the river has become a serious health hazard and every year it is getting worse.

Director: Ekaterina Kozhakina
Duration: 25 minutes
Russia and Indonesia, 2019

Fateich and the Sea
The film transports us to the Russian Far East, to the uninhabited island of Rikord, in the Gulf of Peter the Great. The main character, Fateich, takes care of his underwater farm and gathers seafood delicatessen with his family. While showing the incredible nature and underwater landscapes of the Far East, the film tells a story of a man who is deeply connected to the world that surrounds him.

Director: Alina Rudnitskaya and Sergey Vinokurov
Duration: 73 minutes
Russia, Finland, Poland, 2018

Jury members:

Olga Michi — travel blogger, photographer and film producer.
Sergey Apresov — journalist, science popularizer, Chief Editor of Vokrug Sveta magazine.
Irina Zhuravlyuova — the director and producer of Kamchatka Bears. Life begins — multi-award movie, laureate of Zolotoy Oryol Award as Best Documentary, 2018.
Alexander Tsypkin — the writer, scriptwriter and director.
Alexander Melnik — the director, scriptwriter, member of the Guild of Filmmakers of Russia.
Irena Ponaroshku — TV host, journalist, blogger, eco-activist.
Vasily Akkerman — the writer, publicist