News

Innosocium Foundation, the social platform of the Roscongress Foundation, will screen a film about the festival ‘Soul of Russia. The North’ for the guests and participants of the 7th Eastern Economic Forum. The project of the Roscongress Foundation and the Government of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug — Yugra was developed to promote the humanitarian agenda of Russia’s Chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023. The EEF, organized by the Roscongress Foundation, will be held on 10–13 September in Vladivostok. 

«The movie talks about the path of the festival, which managed to fully reflect the demand for the traditions of indigenous peoples. The ‘Soul of Russia. The North’ festival revealed a relevant approach to the issues of preservation, development, and modern reimagining of the cultural heritage of indigenous peoples of the North, developed by the Innosocium Foundation, the social platform of the Roscongress Foundation. Participants of the largest forums organized by the Roscongress Foundation noted the uniqueness of this format and highly appreciated the distinctiveness of music and dance groups, the opportunity to get acquainted with modern talents who carefully preserve their cultural identity,» said Anton Kobyakov, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation, Executive Secretary of the Organizing Committee for the preparation and holding of the EEF.

The goal of the ‘Soul of Russia. The North’ audiovisual project was to introduce the heritage and culture of the indigenous peoples of the North, as well as to bring together the most significant representatives of modern ethnic music and dance art in one colorful performance. 

«The Russian North with its unique nature, cultural heritage, distinctive traditions of indigenous peoples, and strong-spirited people is a real Klondike for the film industry. I am sure that documentary and feature films shot in the Far East and the Arctic will help to draw additional attention to these regions of our country. The ‘Soul of Russia’ contributes to the preservation of traditional values and cultural heritage, as well as to the sustainable development of the Northern territories,» emphasized Alexei Chekunkov, Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic.

The movie reflects all the development milestones of the ‘Soul of Russia. The North’ project. The first events focused on creative industries and their potential to bring the cultural heritage of indigenous peoples of the North into the spotlight. The events were held by the Innosocium Foundation, the social platform of the Roscongress Foundation as part of the Creative Business Forum (CBF) on the sidelines of SPIEF 2022. The ideas were successfully implemented at the CBF events during the EEF in Vladivostok in 2022 as an audiovisual culture festival entitled ‘Soul of Russia. The North’. In conclusion of EEF 2022 it was decided to introduce a track dedicated to the indigenous peoples at all major forums operated by the Roscongress Foundation. The festival proved to be a resounding success in 2022 at the International Humanitarian Forum ‘Civic Initiatives of the Regions of the 60th Parallel’ in Kogalym, and in 2023 at the International debut film festival ‘Spirit of Fire’ in Khanty-Mansiysk and at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

«How well we know our past has a huge impact on what our future holds. From this point of view, turning to the cultural heritage of the indigenous peoples of the North is our opportunity for development, a point of growth. The great accomplishments of the ‘Soul of Russia. The North’, which will be covered in the movie, are not only aimed at preserving the cultural features of the indigenous peoples of the North. They also provide an opportunity for modern talents to create a quality cultural product. This product is based on the heritage of our ancestors, our northern code, which we must preserve and pass on to future generations,» emphasized the Governor of Ugra Natalia Komarova.

As part of the ‘Soul of Russia. The North’ artists amalgamated modern ethnic music and dance numbers in the traditions of Northern choreography. The participants included ethno-rappers Kit Jah and MOSKILA, Evenki singer Vanyakan Ikekan, the Elden-Dyukeebil ensemble, singer Pyotr Keimetinov, electronic duo URAAN. Additionally, fashion shows from the cult brand Arctic Explorer by Ksenia Chilingarova as well as from popular young designers from Ugra and Yakutia were held.

«Ethno-cultural diversity is of genuine interest to a modern person. It is not by chance that our attention is focused on creative, imaginative projects in which traditions, heritage, culture and folklore can reflect their uniqueness in a modern light. This, I believe, is the main reason for the success of the ‘Soul of Russia. The North’, and this determines the relevance of creating a movie that reveals both the history and significant achievements of the festival,» said Elena Marinina, Deputy Director of the Roscongress Foundation.

In the process of development, the audiovisual project ‘Soul of Russia. The North’ began to include multimedia exhibitions of Northern artists, and the project included events of the debut film festival ‘Spirit of Fire’. On 14 June 2023, on the opening day of the International Festival of the Peoples of the North entitled ‘Soul of Russia’ at SPIEF, an agreement on the development of cultural cooperation was signed. The document was signed by the State Secretary — Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Nadezhda Prepodobnaya, Governor of Ugra Natalia Komarova, and CEO of the Roscongress Foundation Alexander Stuglev. The festival was held at the Lenfilm film studio. It was focused on the modern rethinking of the traditions and historical heritage of the indigenous peoples of the North. More than 500 musicians, artists, craftsmen, designers, lecturers and other representatives of creative industries from 15 Russian regions took part in the festival. The event featured 14 exhibitions, more than 20 master classes, as well as 16 movie screenings during the Northern Film Festival from the ‘Spirit of Fire’ Academy, including a pre-premiere screening of the ‘Ugra Novels’. Six national dwellings and works of street art were installed at the Lenfilm. More than 30 lectures, seven fashion shows and performances of more than 30 musical groups took place. A dance group from the Embassy of India and a delegation from the UAE participated in the festival. More than 5,000 people attended the festival events at SPIEF 2023.

05.09.2023