On Friday, February 4, 2022, the 3rd online Russian-Central Asian film screening was held. The Russian director Philip Yuryev’s debut feature film “The Whaler Boy” (2020), which was filmed over 7 years in a fishing village in Chukotka, the easternmost part of Eurasia, was screened. Following the previous two screenings, this time we also received applications from over 500 people, 
exceeding the capacity. There are many people who have continued to participate since the first screening, and this screening has become established among those who are interested in Russia, Central Asia, and the film itself.
For most participants, it was their first time seeing footage of Chukotka, and in the survey conducted after the screening, many comments expressed shock not only at the harsh natural environment, but also at the fact that despite America being so close by, people cannot freely travel there, along with the frequent power outages and undeveloped infrastructure. In addition, the Chukchi actor, who played the main character Ryoshka, who made his acting debut in this film, received a lot of positive reviews, including his performance and character, and there were opinions that he was struck by his enthusiasm for language learning despite the comical portrayal of his struggle to learn English.
This was the first time that a Russian film was screened at this Russian and Central Asian film screening event. Even when we say “Russian films,” as seen in the screened work set in Chukotka which was in Russian and Chukchi languages, their characteristics are truly diverse. We will continue to hold screenings in order to introduce various worlds of Russia and Central Asia through films and familiarize everyone with them. Please look forward to it.
