II PRESS RELEASE

The II Moscow International Visual Anthropology Festival and Conference «Traditional and Object(ive) Lens. In Search of Integrity” took place in the Lomonosov Moscow State University under the auspices of the preparation for its 250 th anniversary.

The Festival was organized by the Russian Association of Visual Anthropology, the Lomonosov Moscow State University , the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the National Association of Audiovisual archives.

The Festival presented more than 70 films introduced by their authors from France , Australia , India , Bulgaria , Japan , Finland , Belgium , Germany , Norway , Slovenia , Чехии , Lithuania , Latvia , Estonia , Kazakhstan , Tadjikistan, and also from different Russian regions. They depicted the life of 39 peoples of the world. Many films were followed by long discussions.

The spectators learnt about the traditions of Slovenian and Udmurt carnivals, about the conventions in the everyday life of the Finnish ambassador and his family and hardships faced by a young Philippine family, about the Muslim and Pagan rites and life stories of Orthodox priests…

The films were demonstrated and discussed in the Conference Hall of the I Building of Humanities, Moscow State University . Specialised seminars were held in the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology («Traditional Culture of the Siberian and Far Northern Peoples»), in the D.S. Likhachev Institute of Cultural and Natural Heritage («Visual Anthropology: From Field Research to Humanitarian Practice»), and in the Cinema Museum («Jean Rouch and the French school of Visual Anthropology. Films of 1950s – 1980s»).

Creative, theoretical and applied aspects of Visual Anthropology were discussed by the representatives of various humanitarian disciplines at the concluding conference. The posed question included: the author's responsibilities in depicting less known and «closed» cultures, ethical and aesthetical side of the cinema language, the role of Visual Anthropology in preserving cultural heritage, visual archives, employing cinema materials in education, mass-media propaganda, etc. We attempted to characterise the role and prospects of Visual Anthropology in modern society.

The Festival ended with awards for the Debut Competition winners.

The First prize was awarded to the student of the Visual Anthropology School in Tromsö ( Norway ) Janno Simm ( Estonia ) for the film «Autumn on Ob River». The film shows the Autumn activities of the Khanty fishers в in West Siberia .

The Second prize went to the journalist Alexandra Al'bova and the VGIK student Alexey Ivyansky ( Russia ) for the film "Nokhchi – Children of Noah" exploring the problems of the "children of war" in Ingushetiya's refugee camps near the Chechen border.

Irina Klyueva, Research Fellow of the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology , received the Third prize for the film "Carpathian Music" about the Gutsul wedding in the Ivano-Frankovsk region in Ukraine .

The Organization Committee thanks the institutions that took part in the Festival and supported it: Ministry of Culture and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation, Federal Agency of Culture and Film, Russian Institute of Culturology, D.S. Likhachev Institute of Cultural and Natural Heritage, Institute of Man of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Museum of Cinema, Confederation of Unions of Filmmakers of the CIS, Union of Filmmakers of the Russian Federation, National Association of Television and Radio, Eurasian Academy of Television and Radio, Institute of Cultural Politics, French Embassy in Moscow, Franco-Russian Center of the Social Sciences and Humanities, French Cultural Center, Swiss Bureau on the Issues of International Relations and Humanitarian Aid in Moscow, Goethe-Institut, and the Canadian Embassy.

Information support was provided by Radio Rossii, TV channels “Kultura” and “Shkolnik-TV”, portal “Museums of Russia,” Internet resources Rambler and www.ethno-online.ru .

The Festival organizers consider this event as the next step in analysing Visual Anthropology and its responsibilities. We appeal to those involved or interested in this process to start preparing for the next Festival.

We wait for your new films, information materials, proposals.

Organization Committee