A screening of Leonid Kruglov's documentary "To the Arctic" took place at the Russian Cultural Center in Beijing on June 11. The film created with the support of the Russian Geographical Society was the opening event of the festival of culture and art "The Word about the Russian Heart".
The festival is held as part of the Cross-Cultural Years of Russia and China, as well as in honor of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The event was organized by Rossotrudnichestvo together with the New City Center for Creative Industries, the Russian Cultural Center in Beijing, and the Beijing Exhibition Center.
The documentary, presented to the Chinese public, took five years to film in the high latitudes of the Arctic and is the result of a number of scientific expeditions. The audience saw unique footage from Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land, Severnaya Zemlya, the Novosibirsk Islands, and other Russian Arctic territories. The film was released in our country in February 2024, the screening in Beijing was the first demonstration of Leonid Kruglov's work "To the Arctic" abroad.
Members of the film crew in the Arctic. Photo provided by the project participants
As part of the film screening, Anastasia Timofeeva, Adviser to the Department of Expert Analytics and International Affairs of the Executive Directorate of the RGS, presented educational projects of the Russian Geographical Society. Among them was the RGS film portal which contains video tutorials, feature films, documentaries, and even cartoons about the geography, history, and secrets of Russia.
About 100 people attended the event at the Russian Cultural Center in Beijing. Among them were representatives of public and scientific circles, people interested in Russia. The audience was greatly impressed by the Arctic landscapes taken from a bird's-eye view as well as the wildlife of the Arctic: polar bears, narwhals, and walruses.