World of the Modern cinema of Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).

Yakut cinema-boom is considered as miracle by the famous film critics from the metropolitan cities of the country. Many films are shot every year and they are very popular in the local theatres. The following article elucidates the most important modern currents in the development of Yakut cinema.

Mikhail Lukachevskiy.

Movies of Yakut filmmaker Mikhail Lukachevskiy are highly regarded by metroplitan film critics. The director is a graduate of Saint-Petersburg State University of cinema and television. The author’s style of Lukachevskiy is frequently defined as magical realism.

The most important film of the director is “A White day” (Yakut: «үрүн күн», 2014) which participated in Russian film festival “2morrow” in 2015 and two international contests “ImagineNATIVE” (Canada, 2014) and “Maoriland Film Festival” (New Zealand, 2015). The film is a tragic story of the people frozen to death on the road in winter. The script is based on the real events.

DETSAT.

Creative team “DETSAT” (Russian: Дети Саха Театра, Children of Sakha theatre) are famous Yakutian comedians. Dmitriy Shadrin and Stepan Poryadin are graduates of All-Russian State University of Cinematography (Russian: Всероссийский Государственный Университет Кинематографии имени С.А. Герасимова), Roman Dorofeyev is a graduate of the Arctic State Institute of Art and Culture (Russian: Арктический Государственный Институт искусств и культуры) and Alexey Yegorov is a graduate of the Higher Theatre School (Russian: Высшее театральное училище имени Щепкина).

The films shot by the team are adored by the people and have good box office. The main characters of the comedies of “DETSAT” are young urbanites who try to make money as they can. They live in a modern social reality of Yakutsk there everyone uses cell-phone apps but leaving on a hunt is not considered truancy on job.

Also, the films of “DETSAT” attract the people by the folk wisdom. In the film “#Love” (Yakut: “#Taptal”, 2014) the boys oriented only on the inner beauty of the girls are derided. The tendency of such blurring eyes is preheated by social media. In addition, Roman Dorofyev gives the viewer understand that he is not fond of clichés of pathetic manner of public declamation (somehow, this style is associated with the heritage of classic Yakut literature).

Stepan Burnashev.

The other modern film director of Yakutia is Stepan Burnashev. The filmmaker adored cinema since childhood. At that time he got the first camcorder in his life. The great interest to the smash-hits and hunt also appeared in childhood. The future filmmaker loved movies of Bruce Lee, Tarantino, Clint Eastwood and “Terminator 2”. These films influenced the author’s creativity.

The most popular movies of Stepan Burnashev are smash-hits about hunters. The script of “The Slough” (Yakut: «Кута», 2012) is based on the tales of old hunters. Two friends came to the forest and nobody presumed tragic ending. The film has a strong influence of US movies in the shooting of gunfights.

This year is marked in the career of Stepan Burnashev by the collaboration with “DETSAT” in the creation of the film named “First love” (Yakut: «Маҥнайгы таптал»). The script of the movie is an adaptation of the story of Yakut classic Nikolay Gabyshev “Misha and Plisada” (Yakut: «Миша уонна Плисада»).

For the first time Stepan Burnashev changed the genre. The main characters are a man from the village and a business lady from Yakutsk who have had romantic relations in the school years. The revival of love is a kind of miracle for the couple. Social contradiction which has been considered insuperable is solved.

Metropolitan movies with participation of Yakut directors and actors.

The first film which was created in collaboration with the director from the other region of Russia after appearance of Yakutian film industry was “The River” (Russian: «Река», 2002). A very talented director of the 1990s who came from Ural region Alexey Balabanov (1959-2013) decided to make the movie about the colony of the lepers in Yakutian taiga. All the actors and consulting director Alexey Romanov were Yakut. The film wasn’t finished due to the sudden death of the main actress Tuyara Swinoboyeva. It was released as a 47 minute final cut.

Alexey Balabanov appreciated the Yakut actor Mikhail Skryabin and often called him “genius”. In 2010 the director created “The Fireman” (Russian: «Кочегар»). The main idea of the film was showing the tragedy of disruption of the country. The main character is a handicapped veteran of the war in Afganistan who works as a fireman (played by Mikhail Skryabin). The former fellow soldiers of the main character became assassins and burn the bodies in the oven at the working place of their former commander.

Alexey Balabanov had a huge interest to the cultures of Asian regions of Russian Federation and Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) was his favorite place.

The actors of Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) play in the other metropolitan movies. “The Horde” (Russian: «Орда») directed by Andrei Proshkin was released in 2012. The script was conceived as the story of the moral victory of Orthodox Christianity but surprisingly precise meaning of the film became the demonstration of the nature of authority in Russia which didn’t change from the time of Golden Horde. The Khan and Tatar warriors are played by Yakut actors: Innokentiy Dakayarov (Khan Dzhanibek), Fedot Lvov (Mourza Timer), Alexey Yegorov (Tatar warrior).

Also, Yakut actors appeared in “The white reindeer moss” (director – Vladimir Tumayev). The film is based on the story of Nenets writer Anna Nyerkagyi. The main characters are reindeer herders of Yamal tundra. They are shown as the people from remote places.

Part of the Nenets who grew up in a boarding school hate the idea of living as their ancestors. The girlfriend of the main character doesn’t want to be with him because her mind is changed after living in the city. Brother and sister from the other family force their old father (famous Yakut actor Yefim Stepanov) to slaughter reindeer for selling meat. Their main motivation is giving them money for living in the city.

Summing up all of the above, the events in the cinema of Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) (enthusiasm and talent of filmmakers and actors, high appreciation of the film critics, state support for making movies, great public interest for the premieres) show that it has huge opportunities in the present time and in the future.