Directed by Aleksandr Abaturov • 2022 • Russia

Alexander Abaturov’s climate crisis documentary is a dreamlike but gripping account of a community battling forces beyond their control. In the Sakha Republic in northeastern Siberia, heatwaves have led to ever more devastating wildfires that ravage the vast subarctic forests of the taiga. In 2021, the village of Shologon was threatened by an encroaching blaze – but no help was forthcoming from the Russian state. Shologon lies within a “control zone”: the official term for areas considered too remote to justify firefighting operations. Abaturov follows the inhabitants of Shologon as they rally themselves to do battle with “the Dragon”, interweaving his stunningly photographed footage with Sakha folklore, juxtaposing traditional survival strategies against the existential new threat of manmade climate collapse.

PARADISE • РАЙ
Directed by Alexander Abaturov
Written by Alexander Abaturov and Margaux Opinel
Cinematography by Paul Guilhaume
Music by Benoît de Villeneuve, Delphine Malaussena, Benjamin Morando

In Sakha and Russian with English subtitles

Nominated for Best Film at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, 2022