Raising a like-minded viewer and creating a free cultural environment

PERMIAN. The Flahertiana 2017 Grand Prix was awarded to Pierre-Francois Saute Calabria.

The concept of “cultural province” is now practically an anachronism, convenient only for inert skeptics. You can live in the capital among historical monuments next to a dozen museums and not feel the need to go there. Or to have access to huge resources, material and human, and to get a wretched wampuku at the exit. Or you can go to the Urals, gather like-minded people and create the history of classical music, as Currentzis did. The recent triumph of MusicAeterna in Salzburg, a standing ovation and gratitude from a seasoned audience for the discovery of the “new” Mahler and Mozart makes us once again think about the inconsistency of geographical criteria.

Experiment Currentzis glorifies Perm at the best concert and theater venues in the world. Filmmaker and producer Pavel Pechenkin created in 1995 a festival that opened this city for fans of non-fiction films. It all started much earlier, in 1987, with the first independent film studio in the Urals that he founded. “New Deal” was filmed several dozen films of different genres, well-known directors successfully collaborated with him.

The Premier Cinema - the main venue of the Flahertiana - continues the traditions of the cinema club movement of the late 80s, informal meetings with the projectionist Vladimir Samoilovich, who introduced Permians to many “shelf” masterpieces. This is a comfortable space for exploring the latest news on author’s cinema, retro masterpieces, and children’s films. This is the venue for festivals, lectures, discussions and meetings with filmmakers. This is the Perm Cinematheque media educational project, which guarantees equal opportunities for intellectual development regardless of the place of residence.

Pavel Pechenkin and his team are engaged in the so-called social therapy, the organization of film screenings in the adaptation of inmates of orphanages, prisoners. Participation in the “See with my heart” project and the state program “Barrier-free environment 2011-2020” helps in creating an accessible cultural and leisure environment for the visually impaired, organizing sessions with tiflocommentation.

The views of the founder of Flahertiana and the artistic director of the opera coincide, as well as the main goals: to create an environment in which all conditions for free creativity and information exchange are created. Where tolerance is not a swear word, but internal culture, the ability to think and the presence of one’s own opinion are qualities encouraged by society.

The efforts undertaken by Pechenkin and his team over the past 20 years to educate a like-minded viewer are bearing fruit. Interest in documentaries showing a “clean cut of real life” is very high among Perm residents of different ages. A full house during its demonstration is not uncommon. What can we say about the competitive displays of Flahertiana.

The XVII festival turned out to be generous for guests (more than 120 people) and spectators (about 15,000). Within its framework, a media educational forum was held with the participation of employees of the Ministry of Education of the region, the first international pitching took place. Awards also found their heroes.

Calabria ("Calabria") Pierre-Francois Saute (Sauter Pierre-François) received the Grand Prix and the "Big Golden Nanook." A touching story about the journey of two employees of the funeral home, who undertook to deliver a coffin with the body of a successful emigrant who had once left for work in Switzerland. The audience’s sympathy prize is awarded to the Russian graduate of VGIK Evgeny Khovaev. His “Competition” tells about the dramatic pages of the last Tchaikovsky competition, a duel between four outstanding pianists - Dmitry Masleev, Luke Debarg, Lucas Geniusas and George Lee.

“Silver Nanook” by The Grown-Ups of Chilean director Maite Alberdi. The film, which reveals the topic of adaptation of people with Down syndrome in modern society, aroused great interest and sincere sympathy of the audience. Another “Silver Nanook” is at the “Zone of Frank” by Georgy Lazarevsky.

Elena Tanakova © Gallerix.ru