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Golovnev I. Artistic Ethnofilm: Piebald Dog, Running Along the Shore*

Ivan Golovnev
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) of the RAS
Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
ORCID: 0000-0003-4866-7122
E-mail: golovnev.ivan@gmail.com

 

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ABSTRACT. The “Northerness” as a thematic vector permeated the history of Russian (Soviet, if we mean this historical period) cinema, which was expressed in a colorful series of films that have survived to this day. By involving a mass audience in screen expeditions, cinematography contributed significantly to the creation of an image of the Russian North in the consciousness of broad strata of Russian society. Moreover, one of the key components of this multifaceted image was invariably associated with the lifestyle of indigenous northerners. The creative participation of scholars in such film projects ensured an increase in the quality of the films: from superficial exoticism to fascinating ethnography. It is no coincidence that at present, an increasing number of researchers are turning to ethnofilm in their studies. A special dimension in this field is revealed by the analysis of artistic ethnographic film projects. The film Piebald Dog Running Along the Shore, considered in this article, was the result of co-creation of a wide range of representatives of various national, regional and professional communities. The film is based on the traditional culture of the Sakhalin Nivkhs, which is why a number of special issues related to the methods of artistic reconstruction and forms of ethnographic materials translation in film work were of primary research interest. What scientific research sources determined the birth and development of the film’s concept? How was the interaction of the film crew and scientific consultants organized? What was the role of the representatives of the local Nivkh community themselves in the process of film production? The author of the article managed to clarify these and numerous other off-screen nuances in a thematic interview with the film’s director Karen Gevorkian, which formed the basis of the publication.

 

KEYWORDS: ethnographic film, reconstruction of culture, Nivkhs, Sakhalin, Northerness

 

FOR  CITATION: Golovnev I. Artistic Ethnofilm: Piebald Dog, Running Along the Shore. Kunstkamera. 2025.  2 (28): 134–147. (In Russian). DOI: 10.31250/2618-8619-2025-2(28)-134-147

 

* The research was carried out at the expense of a grant from the Russian Science Foundation, project No. 25-1868050 «The Northernness of Russia and the Ethno-Cultural Potential of the Arctic» (A. V. Golovnev).

 

DOI 10.31250/2618-8619-2025-2(28)-134-147
UDC 778.53:39

 

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