Olga Belskaya, INRTU Associate Professor: “Russian and international authors have submitted entries for the Baikal International Film Festival ‘Man and Nature’”
Selection continues for participants in the 25th Baikal International Film Festival “Man and Nature” named after V.G. Rasputin. Filmmakers fr om countries in Asia and Europe have already submitted entries to the organizing committee, and the winner will receive a 500,000-ruble Grand Prix. This was reported by Olga Belskaya, the chair of Irkutsk Regional Branch of the Russian Filmmakers Uni on and an associate professor in the Department of Advertising and Journalism at Irkutsk National Research Technical University (INRTU).
The festival has been held in Irkutsk since 1999. Directors and cinematographers from around the world present films devoted to the relationship between humans and the natural environment. Over a quarter-century, it has become one of the largest film platforms focused on ecological themes. The event was originally founded by film director and Honored Cultural Worker of the Russian Federation Vladimir Samoylichenko, a former lecturer in the Department of Advertising and Journalism at INRTU. Since 2010, the festival's organizing committee has been chaired by Olga Belskaya, INRTU Associate Professor.
According to her, the film forum will take place from September 14 to 22. Entries are actively coming in, including submissions from India, Bangladesh, France, and Ireland. The founders are the Russian Filmmakers Union and its Irkutsk Regional Branch.
A jury will sel ect winners among authors of documentary, popular science, feature, and animated films. Experts will also evaluate creations in full-dome cinema. Additionally, the Baikal Prize will be awarded for the acuteness of the problem posed, along with special prizes from the youth jury, the media community, and audience choice.
“Many members of the film industry know about our project, and it is mentioned in festival catalogs and calendars. Over the last 25 years the festival has changed significantly. Beginning in 2024, a mechanism was introduced to reduce the number of films in competition while substantially increasing the quality of the selected submissions,”
Olga Belskaya said.
Traditionally, students from INRTU will be involved in the festival’s operations. They will prepare content for social media and participate in creative meetings, master classes, and film screening discussions. Some will serve as volunteers.
The film selection will continue until March 31. The festival's shortlist will be announced on June 1. Special screenings and the Baikal Pitching of film projects, wh ere young directors and screenwriters will present their ideas for future films to the jury, will also traditionally take place as part of the film festival. Detailed information, including the regulations and application form, is available on the festival's official website.
Last year, the organizing committee received 240 submissions from 39 countries. The competition included films from Russia, Brazil, Iran, the United States, South Korea, Taiwan, Colombia, Hungary, Canada and other countries. The grand-prix was awarded to Russian filmmaker Elizaveta Klimaeva for her animated film “Lacrifagia,” which metaphorically depicted the fragile natural balance between predator and prey through the animated image of a moth.
