Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Novosibirsk State University hosted a historical documentary film festival on October 13 and 14. Over the course of two days, audiences—students, faculty, NSU staff, and the general public—screened six films by Russian directors and interacted with them and experts involved in their creation. The festival was organized with the support of the Russian Historical Society, Novosibirsk State University, and the History of the Fatherland Foundation.
On October 13, at the festival's opening ceremony, NSU Rector and RAS Academician Mikhail Fedoruk addressed the participants: "We can't look back to the past; we must live in the present and the future. However, it's bad not to know the past and how our country developed. I hope that our younger generation, through this and other events, will preserve historical memory and our history."
Ruslan Gagkuev, Chairman of the Board of the Russian Historical Society and Executive Director of the History of the Fatherland Foundation, also spoke at the opening. He noted that the historical documentary film festival is one of the key initiatives for historical education in Russia. Importantly, the festival combines film screenings with live dialogue with the authors, which also generates great interest among the audience. The films presented at the festival cover a wide range of aspects and periods of history—from the Great Patriotic War to the exploration of the Arctic and the legacy of Silver Age writers.
Vasily Viktorovich Noskov, Head of the Novosibirsk Region's Youth Policy Department, emphasized that this film format is particularly appealing to young people and promotes a new approach to studying history. He hoped everyone would gain useful knowledge, interact with filmmakers, and use this experience as motivation for further in-depth study of history.
Vadim Markovich Rynkov, Director of the Institute of History of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, discussed the differences in how documentary film is perceived across generations: access to cinema has become easier, but the magic of watching it on the big screen remains: "Documentary film is a distinct genre and a distinct form of cinema, as opposed to feature film. Its distinctive feature is that the very name suggests that filmmakers should use documentary footage and depict the present, the past, and the subject of the film, authentically. However, in reality, the renowned Russian-Soviet documentary filmmaker Dziga Vertov demonstrated that the documentary filmmaker is a demiurge, creating the past as they see it, presenting their perspective on it. Nowadays, thanks to advances in technology and capabilities, a great deal of documentary filmmaking is being done. The diversity of artistic techniques and methods is enormous: from alternating documentary footage to animated methods of delivery. And it's great that you'll see these different films; they all underwent rigorous peer review at the application stage and during the final submission process."
Dmitry Gennadyevich Simonov, Director of the State Archives of the Novosibirsk Region and Chairman of the RIO branch in the Novosibirsk Region, emphasized that it is impossible to be a citizen of the Fatherland without knowledge of one's own history. He noted the importance of new formats for acquiring historical knowledge, particularly high-quality documentaries, which help us grasp historical truth: "What Russia and our history will be like for at least the next hundred years depends on us and on you. History is what shapes a citizen; without it, it is impossible to be a citizen. Today, as part of this festival, we will screen several films made by professional documentary filmmakers. This is a product made by professionals and approved by them at the highest level. If we want to grasp historical truth, I believe this is one of the forms that will be effective and engaging. I believe that it is here, in Novosibirsk, that such festivals should be held; here we should comprehend the truth and strive for it."
Over the course of two days, experts involved in the creation of the films presented the films and answered questions from viewers after the screenings.
On the first day, October 13, films about the Great Patriotic War, Semyon Chelyuskin and Valery Bryusov were presented.
The film "War Through the Lens" was presented by Marina Zabelina, director of the Culture of Nations media holding and documentary filmmaker. The director spoke about the heroism of frontline cameramen during the Great Patriotic War, whose footage became invaluable testimony to the events and victory of the multinational people of Russia: "The Historical Documentary Film Festival you are hosting is a very important, large-scale educational initiative of the History of the Fatherland Foundation, which is implementing this project in various cities across Russia.
Our film is dedicated to the fate and heroism of frontline cameramen. These are the heroes who captured the Great Patriotic War, and we see it through their eyes.
When we began filming in 2007, there were only three (frontline cinematographers from the Great Patriotic War – editor's note) left in the post-Soviet space. Boris Sokolov, a legendary cinematographer, lived in Moscow; Semyon Shkolnikov lived in Tallinn; and Malik Kayumov lived in Tashkent. Boris Sokolov became famous for filming the Nuremberg Trials, including the signing of the German surrender.
Semyon Shkolnikov is the only Soviet frontline cameraman to have worked behind partisan lines in three different countries: Russia, Belarus, and Yugoslavia. This work involved enormous risk. Malik Kayumov filmed the first days of the war, particularly the battle for Rzhev.
Frontline cameramen are legendary. None of them are alive anymore, but their testimonies remain. And they prove that World War II was won by the great, multinational people of Russia, who united and repelled the enemy."
Alexander Saburov, head of the Arctic Floating University expeditions at Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov, presented the film "Chelyuskin. The Emperor's Mission" about the great northern expedition and modern explorers who are following Semyon Chelyuskin's path on kites: "This four-part film tells the story of one of the great episodes in our country's geographical discoveries and the history of Arctic exploration in general. This is the great northern expedition (1733-1743), one of whose heroes was Semyon Chelyuskin—the man whose name the northernmost point of Eurasia bears. He was the man who reached it, discovering it under incredibly difficult conditions: his team traveled by dog sled, and after an unsuccessful wintering, 30 of the team members died, likely from scurvy. It's an incredibly difficult test, pushing the limits of human capabilities, but at the same time, they, the naval officers, understand that this is a mission of national importance; they hold the concept of officer's duty sacred. The series, on the one hand, tells the story of Semyon Chelyuskin himself, and on the other, it tells the story of modern-day explorers who are partially retracing Chelyuskin's steps. They do so in a very unusual way—on snow, kites. This fascinating combination of the great past and the fascinating present, I believe, creates a valuable effect and helps us better understand the conditions under which the great geographical discoveries were made."
Ruslan Zaynetdinov, producer and author of the film "Valery Bryusov. The Defeated Teacher," spoke about the life and significance of the Silver Age poet Bryusov and his contribution to the Symbolist movement: "As a young man, Bryusov set himself the goal of making literary history. How many of us set such a goal at 17 or 18? At 25, he wrote in his diary, without false modesty, 'My youth is the youth of a genius.' Who among us wrote such a thing about our 25-year-old selves?
He adopted the Western European style of "decadence," which, I believe, thanks to Merezhkovsky, was dubbed "symbolism" in Russia. He wrote some of it himself, for example, the first issue of the almanac "Russian Symbolists," which supposedly featured several authors, but in fact, it was all Bryusov. He even edited the other Symbolists who appeared in it so thoroughly that it became all Bryusov. Besides writing poetry, he began developing people who had come to embrace Symbolism: Blok, Mayakovsky, Pasternak. Bryusov proved to be a very talented and accomplished publisher. He didn't just write poetry. He understood that the revolution and civil war would soon pass, but writers were needed, and they needed to be taught how to write. Bryusov brought all these people out. Our film is called "Valery Bryusov. The Defeated Teacher": his students surpassed him in poetic terms, but his organizational prowess allowed them to be drawn into the world of literature that we still know, remember, and even, in some ways, love."
On the second day of the festival, October 14, films on equally interesting topics were presented.
Alevtina Kuzovenkova, general director of the television company “Under the Sign of Pi”, producer of the film “Leningrad Children. The Way Home,” touched upon the evacuation of children from Leningrad in 1941 and the plight of children left without parental care: “This topic is little known. In June 1941, by decision of the CPSU Central Committee, the evacuation of children from Leningrad began. At first, they decided to send them to summer camps for 2-3 months. Nobody expected that the war would be long. Children were sent without parents. The little ones were barely one year old. Therefore, if documents were lost – and this happened – the train was bombed, for example, and all the documents were burned, or the lists were simply compiled incorrectly in a hurry, it was impossible to determine the name of the child, because some kids even spoke poorly. In total, according to various estimates, more than 350 thousand children were evacuated. And this, of course, is a completely unprecedented action. Never before has anything like this been done anywhere. After the end of the Siege, the return of children to Leningrad and the search for the missing began almost immediately. Historians from St. Petersburg told us this story, and we decided to make a film. While working, the author of the film wrote on social networks that filming was underway. And some woman wrote to her that she knew this story well, since her aunt was evacuated, lost and later found. She now lives in Germany and was able to give our colleagues an interview. She was 3 years old, the train on which she was sent for evacuation was bombed, all documents were lost, and the wife of the train director took her in with her. The girl grew up and they decided to embroider her coat, and a piece of paper fell out with her name written, Nella Gan, and her parents’ address. That’s how they found her. In addition to the living history of specific people, in the film we tell in detail, based on archival documents, what gigantic work the Leningrad authorities did to save children. In fact, the whole country knew and participated in the rescue of the children of Leningrad. A lot of children were evacuated to Siberia. There is even a monument to these children in Omsk.
Ilya Vasiliev, creative producer of the film "Far East. Arsenyev's Land," spoke about the life of explorer Arsenyev and his role in popularizing the Far East, encouraging young people to dream and explore their vast land: "This film is about Arsenyev—a man of remarkable achievement who contributed greatly to the development and popularization of the Far East. His books were published abroad, and Akira Kurosawa adapted one of his novels into an Oscar-winning film. Thus, he contributed to the vibrant and colorful popularization of the Far East throughout the world. We felt there was a need for a historical documentary that would explore Arsenyev's life, work, and military-geographical educational activities, and we wanted to fill this gap."
This film can inspire young people to dream. Arsenyev had a dream—to explore the Far East. He was driven by a thirst for discovery, like those who were ascetics like Livingstone. He could have become a professor at any prestigious university, but he chose to pursue his path in the harsh conditions of the Far East. His passion for knowledge and desire to share the unknown is an important message for young people starting their journeys in life. We have a vast country with many unexplored and promising territories, and this film is about the fact that there is always something new to discover and develop.
Nani Ugulava, a junior researcher in the Medieval Archaeology Department at the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and a participant in the Suzdal expedition, presented the film "Searching for Ancient Rus'" and spoke about the importance of archaeological expeditions: "The film offers a glimpse into the process of searching for and interpreting archaeological materials. The history and culture of Ancient Rus' are discussed directly at the excavation sites. The filmmakers managed to preserve the honesty and vividness of the narrative, capturing the personal motivations and emotions of the participants. Viewers are inspired by the passion for the profession and the understanding that archaeology is a vibrant, engaging, and humane field that explores the past. The objects discovered carry information like puzzles, and each discovery brings an inner uplift and inspiration. The film helps you experience this unique state."
The NSU Historical Documentary Film Festival demonstrated the importance of preserving and transmitting historical memory through vibrant and insightful films. The films showcased various eras and aspects of our history, combining the professional skill of directors with the sincere passion of their creators. Dialogues with experts and the opportunity to immerse themselves in the topic through film make such events a valuable educational tool, especially for the younger generation, inspiring them to explore the past and look to the future with an understanding and respect for history.
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