Vladivosto finds focus in local community1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteBilling itself the “Vladivostok International Film Festival: Pacific Meridian,” and setting on Russia’s distant eastern coastline — far closer to Tokyo and Beijing than to Moscow — VIFF’s activities are focused squarely on servicing its immediate area, screening pics and profiling filmmakers from around the Asia-Pacific region.
For this year’s edition, 20 helmers from 13 nations will compete for the fest’s 625,000 rubles ($21,000) top feature prize.
The competition will be judged by an international jury chaired by Brit critic Tony Rayns and including Russian programmer and producer Raisa Fomina, Singapore Film Fest topper Philip Cheah and helmers Lav Diaz (Philippines) and Jan Schutte (Germany). European titles, meanwhile, are restricted to the fest’s non-competitive strands, including the International Panorama.
On the documentary front, sections are divided by thematic interest, ranging from human-rights abuses to the state of global penitentiary systems to one focusing on “extraordinary lifestyles.” In addition, VIFF will present prize-winning films from the 2010 Wildscreen fest, the world’s largest environmental-themed film festival, held every two years in Bristol.
