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.