18.10.2026 at 18:40. National Competition 3: Chuuraa, The Wind Blows Wherever It Wants, Avrora, Small Hall

Description

Russian premiere

The lives of shepherds in Georgia’s Tusheti region have changed little in hundreds of years. They still drive thousands of sheep along an ancient route between the snowbound peaks of the Caucasus and the empty steppes of Vashlovani. On that journey the traditional order of nomadic life meets a rapidly changing world of modern civilisation.

About the director:

Ivan Boiko

Director and cinematographer. In 2026 he completed the workshop of Boris Khlebnikov and Natalia Meshchaninova at the Seance School (Screenwriting). His first feature, The Wind Blows Wherever It Wants, was shot over sixteen months in the Caucasus mountains. He took part in the 2026 BaseCamp Locarno.

Description

In the wilds of Arctic Siberia, Aisen Klimovsky, a palaeontologist of indigenous Sakha (Yakut) origin, descends into the depths of the thawing permafrost and crosses the mythical realm of the underworld in search of an ancient creature. Poised between mythology and science, his journey through tight, dangerous caves is accompanied by a poetic narration drawn from the Sakha epic tradition of storytelling. The film takes up one of the most urgent climate problems of our time: the accelerating thaw of permafrost, which releases greenhouse gases and brings to light creatures that carry viruses and microorganisms from a distant past.

About the director:

Evgenia Arbugaeva

Filmmaker. Born in Tiksi, Yakutia. In her work she often turns to her homeland, the Arctic, discovering and documenting remote worlds and the people who inhabit them. She is a National Geographic Society Storytelling Fellow and a recipient of the ICP Infinity Award and the Leica Oskar Barnack Award. Her work has been shown in international exhibitions and published in National Geographic, Time, The New Yorker, and elsewhere. Her short documentary debut Haulout (2023, co-directed with Maxim Arbugaev) was nominated for an Academy Award and a Nika Award, and won prizes at Angers, Cork, AFI Fest, and other festivals. At the 32nd Message to Man IFF it took six awards, including the Special Prize of the National Competition, the Prize for a Contribution to European Auteur Cinema, and a Student Jury Diploma.