Journal of Film Preservation - FIAF
Journal of Film Preservation - FIAF
Journal of Film Preservation - FIAF
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Festival de films d’archives à<br />
Belye Stolby<br />
Depuis 1997, afin de répondre aux besoins<br />
des critiques de cinéma, cinéastes et<br />
chercheurs, le Gosfilm<strong>of</strong>ond de Russie<br />
organise le Festival de films d’archives à<br />
Belye Stolby. Pendant trois ou quatre jours,<br />
les participants ont l’occasion de visionner<br />
des films, du matin au soir, et d’échanger<br />
leurs idées. Le lieu et le climat s’y prètent:<br />
d’une part, Belye Stolby est situé à quelques<br />
50km de Moscou et prend avantage de la<br />
proximité des archives de Gosfilm<strong>of</strong>ond,<br />
source intarissable de documents historiques<br />
et chef-d’œuvre du 7ème art, d’autre part, le<br />
Festival a lieu au mois de janvier. Les<br />
participants passent des longues nuits de<br />
l’hiver russe à voir des films et à discuter.<br />
Belye Stolby 1999 était consacré à la<br />
Nouvelle Vague et à son influence sur le<br />
cinéma soviétique. L’autre événement était la<br />
célébration du 200ème anniversaire<br />
d’Alexandre Pouchkine. L’accent était mis<br />
sur l’adaptation de ses œuvres à l’étranger<br />
(entre autre, pour le cinéma tchèque et<br />
polonais). Cet hommage à Pushkin fut<br />
également l’occasion pour Gosfilm<strong>of</strong>ond de<br />
lancer un vaste projet comprenant des<br />
rétrospectives de films basés sur l’œuvre du<br />
poète russe, la production de séries de<br />
télévision et la publication d’une<br />
filmographie des adaptations<br />
cinématographiques.<br />
Convaincus du rôle important que peut<br />
jouer la connaissance de l’histoire du cinéma<br />
russe moderne dans la création<br />
contemporaine, les responsables de<br />
Gosfilm<strong>of</strong>ond espèrent susciter l’intérêt des<br />
cinéastes accourement sont chaque année<br />
plus nombreux au festival de Belye Stolby<br />
2000.<br />
<strong>of</strong> the hotel in Belye Stolby. Gosfilm<strong>of</strong>ond is located in a small town,<br />
50km from Moscow city, the town being so small, that it does not<br />
provide any public transport. Meanwhile Gosfilm<strong>of</strong>ond facilities are<br />
several miles from the railway station.<br />
To increase the number <strong>of</strong> guests this year, festival organisers even<br />
ordered special buses, which circulated every day between Moscow and<br />
Belye Stolby. The last bus left for Moscow at about 20.00, which was just<br />
a relative comfort, since the guests who used it missed the evening<br />
screening. However, those lucky enough to get a room in the hotel were<br />
fully rewarded by the opportunity to plunge into the unique “Belye<br />
Stolby” atmosphere.<br />
The festival takes place in January, when winter in Russia is at its<br />
strongest point. Snowdrifts and frosts are accompanied by the absence <strong>of</strong><br />
morning or evening twilight. There is only a short light day and a long<br />
dark night. The night is so long, that sometimes the film projector light<br />
seems to be the only ray in the surrounding darkness. As you see, cold,<br />
darkness, remoteness from the capital and density <strong>of</strong> the program<br />
encourage devotion to film screenings and a lot <strong>of</strong> communication.<br />
The so-called “round tables” allow film critics and journalists to manifest<br />
their knowledge and education as well as the fact that some <strong>of</strong> them<br />
have worked out certain personal points <strong>of</strong> view. Representatives <strong>of</strong><br />
different TV channels thus have the chance to acquire knowledge they<br />
would normally miss and then to impress an audience <strong>of</strong> many millions.<br />
As a result, the small and seemingly local film event does not just<br />
nourish film critics and researchers, but also encourages film journalists<br />
and culturally educates the broadest audience.<br />
Naturally, every year we try to elaborate a program, which refers to<br />
certain historical events, phenomena or movements. For instance, the<br />
lion’s share <strong>of</strong> “Belye Stolby - 99” was devoted to the jubilee <strong>of</strong> the<br />
famous “Nouvelle Vague”, which started rolling in about 1959, and<br />
consequently celebrated its 40th anniversary in 1999. In addition to<br />
purely historical reasons, the artistic director <strong>of</strong> the festival, Vladimir<br />
Dmitriev, chose the subject according to some moral considerations. The<br />
atmosphere <strong>of</strong> creative community, the ability and eagerness to help each<br />
other and to glorify your comrade’s success - all these factors <strong>of</strong> vital<br />
importance are almost missing from the modern Russian film process.<br />
Ironically, this time young film directors were particularly scarce in Belye<br />
Stolby. But the best known maÓtres <strong>of</strong> Soviet - Russian cinema were<br />
invited to participate in a discussion on the “Nouvelle Vague” and its<br />
impact on Soviet cinema. To make the discussion as informative as<br />
possible, the scientific department <strong>of</strong> Gosfilm<strong>of</strong>ond prepared an<br />
impressive booklet with about twenty extended interviews by the bestknown<br />
Russian filmmakers. Each was asked three questions: 1) when<br />
did you see the “nouvelle vague” for the first time, and what was your<br />
first impression? 2) did the “nouvelle vague” influence your creative<br />
choices? 3) has your attitude to the “nouvelle vague” changed over the<br />
94 <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Film</strong> <strong>Preservation</strong> / 58/59 / 1999