Chinese film «The answer to forever » wins the grand prix of the 10th Arctic International Film Festival «Golden Raven » «scurvy» starring Nikita Efremov receives the main jury prize
April 7, 2026
On April 5, the results of the anniversary 10th Arctic International Film Festival "Golden Raven" were announced at the closing ceremony at the Polar Cinema in Anadyr.
Opening the ceremony, Artistic Director and Festival Director Philipp Abrutin and Lead Festival Producer Oksana Lakhno summed up the competition week.
"The anniversary Golden Raven has become a strong confirmation for us that the festival has long since grown into a major cultural event loved by audiences and a serious international industry platform. This year, we received more than 3,000 submissions from over 100 countries. Festival events in Chukotka brought together more than 6,000 viewers, and the Golden Raven Film Marathon has already united more than 80,000 viewers in over 50 regions of Russia. It is especially important for us that the anniversary edition once again brought filmmakers from different regions of Russia to Chukotka, as well as from China, India, Türkiye, the Republic of Belarus, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Korea, and other countries, becoming a space for meaningful dialogue, professional exchange, and a genuine love of cinema,” said Philipp Abrutin and Oksana Lakhno.
The Grand Prix — the "Big Golden Raven" statuette made of mammoth ivory — was awarded by audience vote to the Chinese film "The Answer to Forever" by Zheng Yunchang, while the jury headed by Russian director Alexander Kott selected Scurvy by Vladimir Golovnev.
"The Answer to Forever" tells the story of little Jiayin, who, after losing her parents, once again found warmth and love in her adoptive grandmother. However, a serious illness threatens to take the grandmother away, and the girl, inspired by the classic Chinese tale "The Adventures of the Monkey King", sets out in search of a magical "eternal fruit" determined to outwit death itself.
"This is a very beautiful prize statuette and very heavy, and I did not expect to receive it because I had seen the competing films. Cinema is a window through which we can see different worlds. Before coming to Chukotka, I thought it was very far away, but during the time I spent here, I realized how closely it is connected to the world — after all, this is the point where all meridians meet," said director Zheng Yunchang upon receiving the festival’s top award.
The same film also received the jury prize for Best Cinematography. In total, seven films were presented in the feature-length fiction and Documentary competition of the 10th Arctic International Film Festival "Golden Raven". The jury of the festival’s main competition included director and screenwriter Alexander Kott, actress Zoya Berber, cinematographer Ivan Burlakov, Documentary filmmaker Alexey Vahrushev, Korean director, screenwriter and showrunner Yu Jae-hong, and Chinese director and screenwriter Qiao Liang.
"I would like to thank all the jury members for the discussion and dialogue, because it is in this process that what festivals are truly about is born. On the one hand, it is a celebration, but on the other, it is a competition where the jury must make decisions that may or may not be liked, but nevertheless remain in memory and in the festival’s history,” Alexander Kott noted.
The jury named Vladimir Golovnev’s "Scurvy" the best film in the feature-length fiction and Documentary competition. Starring Nikita Efremov, the film tells the story of a young missionary novice who encounters the mysterious world of Yamal reindeer herders. He must go through trials and falls in order to fulfill his obedience, understand "northness" and find himself.
"I looked at where we are on the map and felt the world in a completely new way, because it turns out the Far East is not so far, and Central Russia is not so central. In cinema, we try to find a new way of seeing the world, and here I understand that you don’t need to invent anything. It is enough to visit places like Chukotka and feel new energy and a new perspective,” said Vladimir Golovnev upon receiving the award.
The jury prize for Best Directing went to Natalia Guguyeva for "Vitaly Melnikov. Director’s Fate".
"I would like to thank the hero of my film, director Vitaly Melnikov, who allowed me to touch his personality and his work. I always thank the protagonists of my Documentary films, because it turns out that we, filmmakers, use their pain points and drama to push off from their lives," Natalia Guguyeva said.
The same film received the special prize of the Governor of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
"The festival is being held for the tenth time and proves that it has long gone beyond the framework of an ordinary cultural event: Chukotka has become a place for dialogue among guests from all over the world, who during the festival get acquainted with our nature, culture, and the traditions of the indigenous peoples. Our amazing nature and unique landscape truly turn the region into a film set. Come and shoot here," said Lyubov Bryantseva, Deputy Governor of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
The jury of the feature-length fiction and Documentary competition also awarded several diplomas. The Venezuelan film "Kueka, Ancestral Memory" by Maria de los Angeles Peña Fonseca received the diploma "For the Grandeur of the Spirit of Small Peoples." The diploma "For the Courage of the Authors to Give a Personal Story to the Audience" went to Turkish filmmakers Gülten Tarançı and Recep Tarançı for the Documentary film "My Grandpa’s Home".
The special diploma of the feature-length fiction and Documentary competition "For a Debut" went to the Yakut film "Give Me Flowers" by Vasily Sleptsov. The jury awarded the Documentary film "The Last Mammoth" by Andrey Timoshchenko the diploma "So That the Last Mammoth Will Not Be the Last." The same film also received the Press Prize, awarded at the Golden Raven festival for the first time.
For the first time, the anniversary Golden Raven also featured a competition for feature-length animated films, with the winner selected by audience vote. The best film was Oscar-nominated Konstantin Bronzit’s "Trown Away". In the short-animated film category, audiences chose "Katun River" by Maria Zheleznova.
Among short fiction and Documentary films, the audience favorite and recipient of the main prize — the Golden Raven medallion made of elk antler — was "A Food Van Nearby" by Alexander Titov. The same film also received a special jury diploma in the short film competition for "Professional Directing and Screenwriting Work. "
The short film competition featured 11 fiction and 9 Documentary films from Russia, China, Mexico, India, and other countries. The jury included Vladimir Karachevsky, Director of the Minsk network Kinovideoprokat, Chinese producer Liang Jiashan, Documentary director Mikhail Moroz, and director Alexander Sukachev.
"We tried to work with quality, professionalism, and full responsibility. We received many positive emotions from the city, the region, the people, and the nature of Chukotka. It feels as though we are leaving dear people behind, but there is an incredible desire to come back, " noted Vladimir Karachevsky, who also suggested screening the films that took part in the Golden Raven festival in Minsk cinemas.
The best short fiction film was named "Lyubove Is Gone" by Apollinaria Limanskaya, while the winner in the Documentary section was "Shine to the North" by Anastasia Lomakina. The special jury prize went to the Kyrgyz film "The Rock" by Altynai Adamalieva. In addition to "A Food Van Nearby", diplomas were awarded to "Dot-Dash" by Kaleriya Kotova, "The Mute" by Arsen Aristakesyan, "Putorana" by Vasily Buylov, "Clay Woman" by Concepción Vásquez Martínez, and "Nazar" by Atul Chaugule, which also received a special prize from the festival partner Purga Radio.
In the traditional interregional "FilmRising!" competition, which launched the Golden Raven festival ten years ago, five fiction and Documentary films created in Sakhalin Region, on the Kola Peninsula, in Chukotka, in Khanty-Mansiysk, in Khabarovsk Krai, and in Sverdlovsk Region were screened. The "FilmRising!" jury included Irina Belova, General Director of Krasnoyarsk Regional State Budgetary Institution of Culture "Yenisey Cinema", film scholar and representative of the Crimean Film Commission Elena Kutsenko, and ballet master of the State Academic Chukchi-Eskimo Ensemble Ergyron, actor and director Yegor Tynarali. The winner of the competition was "Generation of Heroes", directed by Chukotkan filmmaker Ivan Semikletov. The jury special diploma "For the Best Visual Realization of a Geographic Discovery" went to "Krenitsyn Peak" by Ilya Bolshakov.
«Many thanks to the festival for giving us the opportunity to make and show films in Chukotka. And thanks to our warriors of the past and present for making our country free and the sky peaceful,” said Ivan Semikletov.
The Soyuzmultfilm animation studio, whose specialists spent the week creating cartoons about Chukotka with local children, received the Special Prize of the Festival Organizing Committee, while the Krasnoyarsk Regional State Budgetary Institution of Culture "Yenisey Cinema", represented by General Director Irina Belova, received a special diploma from the Organizing Committee for active participation in the Golden Raven Film Marathon.
As is traditional, the closing ceremony featured a performance by the State Academic Chukchi-Eskimo Ensemble Ergyron, which presented the audience with new and impressive numbers.
The Arctic International Film Festival "Golden Raven" is organized by the Golden Raven Center for the Development and Support of Cultural Projects, the Youth Initiatives Production Center, with support from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Governor of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, the Government of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, the Chukotka Regional Film Distribution and Screening Center, the Russian Filmmakers’ Union, and the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives.
Winners of the 10th Arctic International Film Festival "Golden Raven"
International Competition of Feature-Length Fiction and Documentary Films
Special jury diplomas:
International Competition of Feature-Length Animated Films
International Short Film Competitions
Special jury diplomas:
INTERREGIONAL CINEMA COMPETITION "FILMRISING!"
SPECIAL PRIZES OF THE FILM FESTIVAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Medallion "GOLDEN RAVEN" — Soyuzmultfilm Studio.
Special Diploma "GOLDEN RAVEN"— Krasnoyarsk Regional State Budgetary Institution of Culture "Yenisey Cinema", represented by General Director Irina Belova.
On April 5, the results of the anniversary 10th Arctic International Film Festival "Golden Raven" were announced at the closing ceremony at the Polar Cinema in Anadyr.
Opening the ceremony, Artistic Director and Festival Director Philipp Abrutin and Lead Festival Producer Oksana Lakhno summed up the competition week.
"The anniversary Golden Raven has become a strong confirmation for us that the festival has long since grown into a major cultural event loved by audiences and a serious international industry platform. This year, we received more than 3,000 submissions from over 100 countries. Festival events in Chukotka brought together more than 6,000 viewers, and the Golden Raven Film Marathon has already united more than 80,000 viewers in over 50 regions of Russia. It is especially important for us that the anniversary edition once again brought filmmakers from different regions of Russia to Chukotka, as well as from China, India, Türkiye, the Republic of Belarus, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Korea, and other countries, becoming a space for meaningful dialogue, professional exchange, and a genuine love of cinema,” said Philipp Abrutin and Oksana Lakhno.
The Grand Prix — the "Big Golden Raven" statuette made of mammoth ivory — was awarded by audience vote to the Chinese film "The Answer to Forever" by Zheng Yunchang, while the jury headed by Russian director Alexander Kott selected Scurvy by Vladimir Golovnev.
"The Answer to Forever" tells the story of little Jiayin, who, after losing her parents, once again found warmth and love in her adoptive grandmother. However, a serious illness threatens to take the grandmother away, and the girl, inspired by the classic Chinese tale "The Adventures of the Monkey King", sets out in search of a magical "eternal fruit" determined to outwit death itself.
"This is a very beautiful prize statuette and very heavy, and I did not expect to receive it because I had seen the competing films. Cinema is a window through which we can see different worlds. Before coming to Chukotka, I thought it was very far away, but during the time I spent here, I realized how closely it is connected to the world — after all, this is the point where all meridians meet," said director Zheng Yunchang upon receiving the festival’s top award.
The same film also received the jury prize for Best Cinematography. In total, seven films were presented in the feature-length fiction and Documentary competition of the 10th Arctic International Film Festival "Golden Raven". The jury of the festival’s main competition included director and screenwriter Alexander Kott, actress Zoya Berber, cinematographer Ivan Burlakov, Documentary filmmaker Alexey Vahrushev, Korean director, screenwriter and showrunner Yu Jae-hong, and Chinese director and screenwriter Qiao Liang.
"I would like to thank all the jury members for the discussion and dialogue, because it is in this process that what festivals are truly about is born. On the one hand, it is a celebration, but on the other, it is a competition where the jury must make decisions that may or may not be liked, but nevertheless remain in memory and in the festival’s history,” Alexander Kott noted.
The jury named Vladimir Golovnev’s "Scurvy" the best film in the feature-length fiction and Documentary competition. Starring Nikita Efremov, the film tells the story of a young missionary novice who encounters the mysterious world of Yamal reindeer herders. He must go through trials and falls in order to fulfill his obedience, understand "northness" and find himself.
"I looked at where we are on the map and felt the world in a completely new way, because it turns out the Far East is not so far, and Central Russia is not so central. In cinema, we try to find a new way of seeing the world, and here I understand that you don’t need to invent anything. It is enough to visit places like Chukotka and feel new energy and a new perspective,” said Vladimir Golovnev upon receiving the award.
The jury prize for Best Directing went to Natalia Guguyeva for "Vitaly Melnikov. Director’s Fate".
"I would like to thank the hero of my film, director Vitaly Melnikov, who allowed me to touch his personality and his work. I always thank the protagonists of my Documentary films, because it turns out that we, filmmakers, use their pain points and drama to push off from their lives," Natalia Guguyeva said.
The same film received the special prize of the Governor of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
"The festival is being held for the tenth time and proves that it has long gone beyond the framework of an ordinary cultural event: Chukotka has become a place for dialogue among guests from all over the world, who during the festival get acquainted with our nature, culture, and the traditions of the indigenous peoples. Our amazing nature and unique landscape truly turn the region into a film set. Come and shoot here," said Lyubov Bryantseva, Deputy Governor of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
The jury of the feature-length fiction and Documentary competition also awarded several diplomas. The Venezuelan film "Kueka, Ancestral Memory" by Maria de los Angeles Peña Fonseca received the diploma "For the Grandeur of the Spirit of Small Peoples." The diploma "For the Courage of the Authors to Give a Personal Story to the Audience" went to Turkish filmmakers Gülten Tarançı and Recep Tarançı for the Documentary film "My Grandpa’s Home".
The special diploma of the feature-length fiction and Documentary competition "For a Debut" went to the Yakut film "Give Me Flowers" by Vasily Sleptsov. The jury awarded the Documentary film "The Last Mammoth" by Andrey Timoshchenko the diploma "So That the Last Mammoth Will Not Be the Last." The same film also received the Press Prize, awarded at the Golden Raven festival for the first time.
For the first time, the anniversary Golden Raven also featured a competition for feature-length animated films, with the winner selected by audience vote. The best film was Oscar-nominated Konstantin Bronzit’s "Trown Away". In the short-animated film category, audiences chose "Katun River" by Maria Zheleznova.
Among short fiction and Documentary films, the audience favorite and recipient of the main prize — the Golden Raven medallion made of elk antler — was "A Food Van Nearby" by Alexander Titov. The same film also received a special jury diploma in the short film competition for "Professional Directing and Screenwriting Work. "
The short film competition featured 11 fiction and 9 Documentary films from Russia, China, Mexico, India, and other countries. The jury included Vladimir Karachevsky, Director of the Minsk network Kinovideoprokat, Chinese producer Liang Jiashan, Documentary director Mikhail Moroz, and director Alexander Sukachev.
"We tried to work with quality, professionalism, and full responsibility. We received many positive emotions from the city, the region, the people, and the nature of Chukotka. It feels as though we are leaving dear people behind, but there is an incredible desire to come back, " noted Vladimir Karachevsky, who also suggested screening the films that took part in the Golden Raven festival in Minsk cinemas.
The best short fiction film was named "Lyubove Is Gone" by Apollinaria Limanskaya, while the winner in the Documentary section was "Shine to the North" by Anastasia Lomakina. The special jury prize went to the Kyrgyz film "The Rock" by Altynai Adamalieva. In addition to "A Food Van Nearby", diplomas were awarded to "Dot-Dash" by Kaleriya Kotova, "The Mute" by Arsen Aristakesyan, "Putorana" by Vasily Buylov, "Clay Woman" by Concepción Vásquez Martínez, and "Nazar" by Atul Chaugule, which also received a special prize from the festival partner Purga Radio.
In the traditional interregional "FilmRising!" competition, which launched the Golden Raven festival ten years ago, five fiction and Documentary films created in Sakhalin Region, on the Kola Peninsula, in Chukotka, in Khanty-Mansiysk, in Khabarovsk Krai, and in Sverdlovsk Region were screened. The "FilmRising!" jury included Irina Belova, General Director of Krasnoyarsk Regional State Budgetary Institution of Culture "Yenisey Cinema", film scholar and representative of the Crimean Film Commission Elena Kutsenko, and ballet master of the State Academic Chukchi-Eskimo Ensemble Ergyron, actor and director Yegor Tynarali. The winner of the competition was "Generation of Heroes", directed by Chukotkan filmmaker Ivan Semikletov. The jury special diploma "For the Best Visual Realization of a Geographic Discovery" went to "Krenitsyn Peak" by Ilya Bolshakov.
«Many thanks to the festival for giving us the opportunity to make and show films in Chukotka. And thanks to our warriors of the past and present for making our country free and the sky peaceful,” said Ivan Semikletov.
The Soyuzmultfilm animation studio, whose specialists spent the week creating cartoons about Chukotka with local children, received the Special Prize of the Festival Organizing Committee, while the Krasnoyarsk Regional State Budgetary Institution of Culture "Yenisey Cinema", represented by General Director Irina Belova, received a special diploma from the Organizing Committee for active participation in the Golden Raven Film Marathon.
As is traditional, the closing ceremony featured a performance by the State Academic Chukchi-Eskimo Ensemble Ergyron, which presented the audience with new and impressive numbers.
The Arctic International Film Festival "Golden Raven" is organized by the Golden Raven Center for the Development and Support of Cultural Projects, the Youth Initiatives Production Center, with support from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Governor of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, the Government of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, the Chukotka Regional Film Distribution and Screening Center, the Russian Filmmakers’ Union, and the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives.
Winners of the 10th Arctic International Film Festival "Golden Raven"
International Competition of Feature-Length Fiction and Documentary Films
- Statuette "THE BIG GOLDEN RAVEN" — Grand Prix of the festival for Best Film in the feature-length fiction and Documentary competition, based on audience ranking — fiction film "The Answer to Forever", dir. Zheng Yunchang, China.
- Statuette "GOLDEN RAVEN" — Festival Prize for Best Film in the feature-length fiction and Documentary competition, according to the expert jury — fiction film "Scurvy", dir. Vladimir Golovnev, Russia.
- Statuette "GOLDEN RAVEN" — Festival Prize for Best Directing in the feature-length fiction and Documentary competition, according to the expert jury — Documentary film "Vitaly Melnikov. Director’s Fate", dir. Natalia Guguyeva, Russia.
- Statuette "GOLDEN RAVEN" — Festival Prize for Best Cinematography in the feature-length fiction and Documentary competition, according to the expert jury — fiction film "The Answer to Forever", dir. Zheng Yunchang, China.
- Medallion "GOLDEN RAVEN" — Special jury prize "For the Grandeur of the Spirit of Small Peoples" — Documentary film "Kueka, Ancestral Memory", dir. Maria de los Angeles Peña Fonseca, Venezuela.
- Medallion "GOLDEN RAVEN" — Special Prize of the Governor of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug — Documentary film "Vitaly Melnikov. Director’s Fate", dir. Natalia Guguyeva, Russia.
- Medallion "GOLDEN RAVEN" — Press Prize — Documentary film "The Last Mammoth", dir. Andrey Timoshchenko, Russia.
Special jury diplomas:
- "For the Courage of the Authors to Give a Personal Story to the Audience" — Documentary film "My Grandpa’s Home", dir. Gülten Tarançı and Recep Tarançı, Türkiye.
- "For a Debut" — fiction film "Give Me Flowers", dir. Vasily Sleptsov, Russia.
- "So That the Last Mammoth Will Not Be the Last" — Documentary film "The Last Mammoth", dir. Andrey Timoshchenko, Russia.
International Competition of Feature-Length Animated Films
- Statuette "GOLDEN RAVEN" — Festival Prize for Best Film in the feature-length animated film competition, based on audience ranking — "Thrown Away", dir. Konstantin Bronzit, Russia.
International Short Film Competitions
- Medallion "GOLDEN RAVEN" — Audience Choice Award for Best Short Animated Film — animated film "Katun River", dir. Maria Zheleznova, Russia.
- Medallion "GOLDEN RAVEN" — Prize for Best Film in the short film competition — fiction film "A Food Van Nearby", dir. Alexander Titov, Russia.
- Medallion "GOLDEN RAVEN" — Festival Prize for Best Short Fiction Film according to the expert jury — fiction film "Lyubove Is Gone", dir. Apollinaria Limanskaya, Russia.
- Medallion "GOLDEN RAVEN" — Festival Prize for Best Short Documentary Film according to the expert jury — Documentary film "Shine to the North", dir. Anastasia Lomakina, Russia.
- Medallion "GOLDEN RAVEN" — Special jury prize in the short fiction and Documentary competition — Documentary film "The Rock", dir. Altynai Adamalieva, Kyrgyzstan.
- Medallion "GOLDEN RAVEN" — Special Prize of festival partner Purga Radio — fiction film "Nazar", dir. Atul Chaugule, India.
Special jury diplomas:
- "For Love of Art at First Sight"— fiction film "Nazar", dir. Atul Chaugule, India.
- "For Humanism and the Preservation of Spirituality" — fiction film "Dot-Dash", dir. Kaleriya Kotova, Russia.
- "For Love Against All Odds" — fiction film "The Mute", dir. Arsen Aristakesyan, Russia.
- "For Professional Directing and Screenwriting Work" — fiction film "A Food Van Nearby", dir. Alexander Titov, Russia.
- "For Popularizing the Natural and Cultural Diversity of the Russian Federation" — Documentary film "Putorana", dir. Vasily Buylov, Russia.
- "For Preserving Cultural Traditions, Craftsmanship, and the Strength of the Female Spirit" — Documentary film "Clay Woman", dir. Concepción Vásquez Martínez, Mexico.
INTERREGIONAL CINEMA COMPETITION "FILMRISING!"
- Medallion "GOLDEN RAVEN" — Festival Prize for the Best Film of the interregional short film competition "FilmRising!" as decided by the expert jury — documentary film "Generation of Heroes", directed by Ivan Semikletov.
SPECIAL PRIZES OF THE FILM FESTIVAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Medallion "GOLDEN RAVEN" — Soyuzmultfilm Studio.
Special Diploma "GOLDEN RAVEN"— Krasnoyarsk Regional State Budgetary Institution of Culture "Yenisey Cinema", represented by General Director Irina Belova.