If you are a devoted cinephile with a keen interest in the constantly evolving state of international cinema, then you know that there are always new filmmakers and cultures to explore in the cinematic universe. One of my recent discoveries was the existence of Sakha cinema, which represents the Yakutia province of northwestern Siberia in Russia. This region, which is 5,000 miles from Moscow and is subject to the coldest temperatures on record in the northern hemisphere, is famous for its natural resources, mountain ranges and arctic conditions. More recently, it is attracting international attention for its booming film industry which emerged after 1992 when the president (at that time) Mikhail Nikolaev established a national film industry which is affectionally called Sakhawood (in a nod to India’s Bollywood film factory). Writer/director Stepan Burnashev, a native of Yakutia, is one of the more renowned filmmakers to emerge from Sakhawood and Khara Khaar (English title: Black Snow, 2020) was my first exposure to his work.
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Cinema Sojourns 