The Book of the Sea-CANCELED
In light of current events and Russia’s war against Ukraine, our guest filmmaker, Aleksei Vakhrushev, will not be attending our event this Wednesday, March 23, to discuss his film, The Book of the Sea. His work represents part of an important communal effort to preserve the cultural identity of the indigenous peoples of Chukotka, in the easternmost region of Russia, which, in the director’s words and as he explores in his poetic film, “is resisting the onslaught of modernity and of other cultural traditions.” Yet the regional and global crisis that this war has given rise to is making it impossible for the filmmaker to continue his work and forcing him to attend to urgent matters. He will not be able to participate in the MMFF at this time.
The Book of the Sea is still available for streaming on Sparq and we invite you to watch this wonderful film highlighting the importance of upholding cultural traditions through beautiful documentary storytelling and interpretive animations.
Watch The Book of the Sea
with Introduction by Chris Couch
Access Sparq with your Gmail and Apple ID, or UMass Amherst email address.
Stunning cinematography, charming animations, and a hypnotic soundtrack combine in this hybrid documentary centering on the Inuit and Chukchi peoples of Lorino, a village on the west coast of the Bering Strait of Russia. The Book of the Sea focuses on community leaders Alexei and Elder Alexander as they set out to sea for the traditional sea hunt. Their story is punctuated by vivid animations that recount traditional stories from the region. Blending both past and present, The Book of the Sea examines the struggles of a new generation of hunters as they pursue the sea life that sustains their communities and ties them to the Arctic sea.
All events are free and open to the public.
About the Filmmaker
Aleksei Vakhrushev
“Aleksei Vakhrushev was born in Anadyr, the capital of the Chukchi autonomous Region (Russia) in 1969. He has received his degree in actors’ art at the Theatre Institute of Vladivostok and started his filmmaking study at the All Russian State Cinematography Institute (VGIK) in Moscow in 1991. He began his film career with the documentary Time When Dreams Melt, 1993-1996, the real story of his people – Eskimos of the Yupik group of Northeastern Asia. His view from the inside provided a completely new perspective on the life, problems, and hopes of the indigenous people of Chukotka for the first time. […] Aleksei has experience in several areas within film. He has written scripts, made commercials, worked as an AVID editor, and participated in ethnographic expeditions as a TV film director. He also has dozens of scripts, projects, and ideas in his bottom drawer waiting to be made and realized. These projects are connected with the history, culture, spiritual and social life of the native people of the far northeast of Russia.” (Documentary Educational Resources)
About the Introducer and Moderator
Chris Couch
N. C. Christopher Couch is a senior lecturer in the Program in Comparative Literature, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. He holds a Ph.D. in art history from Columbia University and is the author of numerous books and articles on Latin American art and on graphic novels and comic art, including Jerry Robinson: Ambassador of Comics (on the artist who created The Joker) and The Festival Cycle of the Aztec Codex Borbonicus. He teaches: International Science Fiction Cinema and International History of Animation at UMass as well as multiple courses on comics and graphic novels.