From March 19 to March 26, the international festival «Unknown Russia» was held in Moscow for the third time, co-organized by the Russian Geographical Society. The audience saw films about our country and its people, and the business program allowed them to discuss topical issues of creating documentaries, including geographical ones. At the closing ceremony, the winning films were announced, one of which received a prize in the RGS category «Rediscovering Russia».
The International Documentary Film Festival «Unknown Russia» is a joint project of the Russian Geographical Society, the Association of Producers and Directors of Mainstream Documentary and Corporate Films (APRODOK), the NTV television company, the VGTRK media holding, and the ANO «Moskino». The event has been held since 2024 and is the largest event in the field of documentary filmmaking, one of the key platforms for professional dialogue between industry representatives — directors, producers, representatives of TV channels and online platforms. «Unknown Russia» is held with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives. The general information partner is the Russian news agency TASS, the international information partner is the international media network TV BRICS.
The 3rd International Documentary Film Festival "Unknown Russia". Photo provided by the organizers
Seeing modern popular science and scientific production films, films about the history, ethnocultural heritage of the country and its people — all this is possible thanks to the festival. This year, for the first time, foreign participants joined its work, which gave a new impetus to intercultural exchange in the film industry, the development of cooperation in modern conditions, and the opportunity to see films about our country made by foreign documentary filmmakers.
The RGS category «Rediscovering Russia» traditionally allowed viewers to get acquainted with films that take them on a journey, show the country’s natural resources, tell about those who study them and take care of preserving them for future generations. This year, it featured films about life in Spitsbergen, the life of shift camps, the work of a biologist studying rare plant species in the Yaroslavl Region for inclusion in the new edition of the Red Book, and the everyday life of schoolchildren in an almost deserted village.
The best film in the RGS category «Rediscovering Russia» and the winner of the Grand Prix of the festival was «Forest: The Keeper of Life» (directed by Vladislav Grishin, Irina Shapman). It is a documentary film about the wild forests in the north of the country. The film allowed the viewers to feel the inextricable connection between people and nature. The authors recalled that the forest was not only a resource, but also a complex system that was vital for humans. The full list of winners is available on the festival’s website.
The theme of the development of geographical cinema was vividly reflected in the events of the business program of the festival, organized with the participation of the RGS. The plenary discussion allowed discussing the role of video content in popularizing geographical discoveries and natural attractions of the country. The information occasion was the initiative of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to declare 2027 the Year of Geography in Russia.
One of the points of discussion was the question of which films, in principle, should be classified as geographical films. Roman Lobashov, editor-in-chief of the «Moya Planeta» and «Zhivaya Planeta» TV channels, emphasized that the idea of the expedition was not equal to the idea of the film. It is necessary to start a conversation with the meaning: to find, to see the story and «catch it by the tail.» In turn, original content producer at Okko Gavriil Gordeev stated the importance of an audience approach in documentary films, which, in his opinion, should be understandable to a person. He noted that there was a demand in society for such films. Ilya Burets, General Producer at «On Studio», Creative Director of OOO «Kion»; Aleksandr Kosarim, Head of Content at PAO «Rostelecom»; Ella Tukhareli, General Producer at the Regional Cinema Support Fund; Ekaterina Stroganova, producer at the Documentary Film Department at the Gorky Film Studio; and Ilya Trukhanov, businessman, traveler, and philanthropist, founder of the tour operator «Comandor Expedition».
The 3rd International Documentary Film Festival "Unknown Russia". Photo provided by the organizers
The visual presentation of projects on the geography of Russia, partnered by the RGS, allowed the authors to present films and TV series aimed at popularizing geographical science and discovering interesting tourist routes. These are films about fishermen on the Kamchatka peninsula, the Pomors of Lake Baikal, the Ergaki Nature Park, etc. After short presentations, representatives of online platforms, film funds, TV channels, production and distribution companies shared their professional opinions on creative initiatives.
The Russian Geographical Society traditionally supports documentary projects about Russia and has a collection of more than 600 films on its Film Portal. In addition, this year the RGS held its first All-Russian documentary film festival «The RGS Unites Friends», in which films about the Arctic and Antarctica, extreme travel and wild animals, traditions of the Russian North, etc. were shown on the big screen.