Piblokto

Piblokto
Russia/USA, 2023, 38’
in Russian w/ Arm․/Eng․ subtitles

Directors and Scriptwriters: Anastasia Shubina, Timofey Glinin
Cinematographers: Anastasia Shubina, Timofey Glinin
Producer: Timofey Glinin
Editors: Anastasia Shubina, Timofey Glinin
Sound: Ilya Dunaev
Production Company: Rhizome films

On the Arctic Ocean coast of Chukotka live a people cut off from the world. Their life revolves around hunting walruses and whales and protecting villages from bears coming from the tundra. This theme turns the film into a reflection on death. Marine animals become the primary source of food for the people, animal leftovers are used to feed arctic foxes on a fur farm, and human cemeteries become targets for bears. It appears that all the inhabitants of this region are involved in the cycle of food and death. The film departs from the typical rhythmic structure of cinema and instead adopts the structure of a shamanic ritual, which is a meaning-forming event for the northern peoples.

Award
Inmate Award, Cinéma du Réel, Paris, France, 2023.

Anastasia Shubina and Timofey Glinin

Anastasia Shubina and Timofey Glinin are multidisciplinary artists working in various media – documentary and experimental film, video art, photography, and performance. They work together since 2018. They are currently based in San Francisco, USA. Anastasia Shubina is a visual artist from Saint Petersburg, who studied film directing at the St. Petersburg School of New Cinema, photography at Docdocdoc School of Modern Photography, and philosophy at Saint Petersburg State University. Her films were shown at a number of international film festivals and won awards. Her photographic projects were presented at solo and group exhibitions, won international competitions, and were published in photographic magazines and online platforms. In her personal projects, Anastasia explores the themes of mythology, anthropology, and historical trauma. Timofey Glinin is a multidisciplinary artist from Saint Petersburg, he studied film directing at St. Petersburg School of New Cinema and Science (biology) at Saint Petersburg State University. He is an independent filmmaker and photographer. His works were presented at a number of international film festivals and won awards, while his photo projects were shown at solo and group exhibitions. He is an author of a number of science art performances. In his personal projects, Timofey explores the themes of cultural practices, ethnography, and modern science.

Filmography
Dislocations (2019), The Art of Falling Apart (2019), Piblokto (2023).