Festival jury
Murad Aliev, chairman of the jury
Russia
Soviet, Russian and Turkmenian film actor, film director and scriptwriter. Honored person of arts in Turkmenia; was awarded by the Leninsky komsomol prize of Turkmenskaya Soviet Republic. A member of Russia’s cinematographers union.
He graduated from VGIK in 1977, worked as film chronicle director at Turkmenfilm filmstudio.

He filmed over thirty films including: The Way to Olympus, Mahtumkuly, Palvan — awarded at national film festivals. Since 1991 he has been the chairman of Turkmen center of cinema and television for children and youth Nusay, since 1993 he has been the vice chairman of state film and video company of Turkmenia.

Vladimir Feklenko
Russia

Theatre and film actor, director, scriptwriter. He was born in 1985 in Moscow. He grew up among actors. Vladimir continued acting dynasty and graduated The Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute in 2005, course of Mikhail Borisov. Vladimir Feklenko is acting in many films, his filmography includes roles in such TV-shows as Glukhar, The Game, Courage, The University, SMERSH and many others. In 2020 he graduated from The Higher Directing Courses for scriptwriters and directors, the workshop of Khotinenko-Fenchenko-Finn. Vladimir dabbles in directing, he made short films The Clown, The Last Illusion. His films won the recognition from the audience and were awarded at various International Film Festivals

Bård Wordmal
Norway
A journalist and a lecturer, educated at Norwegian national school of journalism. Employed at national Norwegian newspaper, worked for NRK, Norway’s largest media house, made a number of TV-documenaries. For two years he was responsible for www.euroarctic.com newssite in cooperation with GTRK Murman and Swedish Radio in Luleaa, and he also was the board chairman of Barents Press International. For many years he has had a special interest in international issues in the north. He published three books about intelligence: The Satellite War, Stalking the bear, The Spy War (Spionkrigen). He lectures in Norway, Sweden, Russia, France, US and India. Now he is also working as a freelance journalist for Tellus Works Television in Oslo.
Gunilla Bresky
Sweden

Gunilla Bresky, journalist and director, lives in Luleå, Sweden. She worked for many years at Swedish Radio with radio dramas and documentaries. Gunilla began making films in 1995 when she came to Russia. She has made several award-winning films about the unknown history of World War II, among them: Blood Road, about Russian prisoners of war in Norway, A Grey Blanket with Embroidered Flowers, about a Norwegian woman who participated in the resistance against Nazi occupation and Night Witches, about «the bravest women in world history», the female Soviet bomb pilots. The film she is most proud of herself is I Stop Time about Russian wartime cinematographer Vladislav Mikosha. It is based on his memoirs and the pictures he shot during the war. The film got the Best Swedish Documentary prize for that year.

Nikita Chisnikov
Russia

Lecturer at the Moscow Film School. TV and internet producer, director with over 20 year of experience in film-making for federal channels STS, Channel One, TNT, Domashny, CHE!, Friday!, TV Center, RT and others. He works in different genres: TV-shows, reality shows, documentaries, short videos, short films, promo videos. He is the producer of such TV-shows as The Train Attendant, The Miracle Worker, Master Chef Show, Comedy Battle. Season 1 and other projects. He has got economical (MESI) and directing (VGIK) education. He took Executive MBA at Corvinus University (Hungary). Winner of several Russian and foreign film festivals. Wrote research paper on Creative Group Management. Lecturer in producing at Ostankino Higher television school.

Arsen Arakelian
Armenia

An independent director and producer. He graduated from the faculty of culture of Erevan State Pedagogical Institute, got master’s degree of the Arts Institute. He got his PhD in Art Studies at the National Arts Academy. His films were awarded at many festivals. The Best Film Award of San Gio International Film Festival (Italy, Verona, 1998) for his film Mama, The Best Director for his film Through the Mirror ( New Glance Film Festival, 2018). Best non-play film for Through the Mirror at the XI International Family Film and TV Program Festival of Valentina Leontyeva From All the Soul, Arsen is teaching at Erevan State Pedagogical Institute, he is a lecturer at RAU TV at the Russian — Armenian University, Erevan State Theatre and Cinematography Institute.

Galina Adamovich
Belarus

Galina Adamovich was born in Minsk. In 1994 she graduated from the Arts Academy of Belarus, specializing in documentary film directing. Same year she started working at Belarus Film, the national film studio. A member of Belorussian filmmakers union. She is a frequent participant, award winner and jury member of international film festivals. In 2007 her film Zavedenka was acknowledged as the best national film in the Republic of Belarus. In 2012 she was awarded Special Prize of the President of Belarus For Spiritual Awakening given to the workers of arts and culture. In 2014 she was named The Woman of Minsk of the Year. In 2019 she received the Belarus Trade Unions Award. In 2022 she organized Adam film-making studio in Minsk. In 2023 she became the teacher of documentary film workshop at Belorussian Arts Academy.

Sardana Savvina
Russia

Producer, general director of Sakha Cinema Company, the co-founder of Yakutian film club community, the winner of the A.E. Kulakovsky State Award of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), program curator of Yakutian International Film Festival, organizer of Yakutian Film Days in Tyva, Tatarstan, Novosibirsk, Vladivostok, St. Petersburg, Moscow. A member of Asia Pacific Screen Academy, the head of Sakha Film Company (2021-2023). She is the author of articles on the history of Yakutian cinema published in Russian, English and Korean. She was the producer of successful Yakutian Films Fire in the Wind, The Tsar Bird, The Sun Does Not Set Over Me, Don’t Bury Me Without Ivan and others.

Elvira Serga
Russia

Educated philologist and a journalist. Has been working in journalism since 1993. She has experience of work in the newspapers, information agencies, radio and television. Her favorite genre is special report, her favorite field is social journalism. In 2006 she presented her own TV show Security Formula at BLITS TV (Murmansk). From 2007 to 2019 she worked at TV-21 regional channel, was editor-in-chief of Our Morning and News programs, was the editor-in-chief, general director. In 2020-2021 she was the special reported of the federal TASS IA in Murmansk region. At present she is managing the branch of Russia’s state television and radio company Murman. She is a member of Russian Journalist Union.

Oleg Shtorm
Russia

Feature and documentary film director, producer. He was born in 1967 in Odintsovo, Moscow region. He has been in the filmmaking since 1985. In 1992 he graduated from St. Petersburg institute of film and television, in 1994 — Higher Directing Courses of the State Film of the Russian Federation ( workshop of M.I. Tumanishvili and V.A. Akimov). Winner of The Country National award, winner and prize taker of Russian and international film festivals. He has made such feature films as The Climber and the Last from the Seventh Cradle, The Secret of Four Princesses, The Nakhimov Cadets, tv-shows The Return of Turetsky, God’s gift, The Boiling Point, documentaries сериалов Catherine III. The Last Chapter, What the Fifth Battery Keeps Silence About, Brothers in Arms. For the Victory and others.

The organizer is the independent non-commercial organization Production Center NORTHERN CHARACTER
Russia, Murmansk, Rybniy proezd, 4