Timir and the Dry Humor of the Arctic Circle

Remaining Screenings of Timir:

Jinan Shangying International Cinema (Zhongjian Xingfu MALL)
Wednesday, October 23, 2024, 14:00-15:30
Recommended Age: 12+

The China International Children's Film Festival's Chengdu screening officially commenced on October 20 at Zhongche • Yuan STAGE. Russian young director Nikolay Koryakin brought his feature film Timir to Shangfeng International Cinema in Chengdu, where nearly 500 young movie fans and parents from across the region participated in a post-screening video conference discussion with the director.

Timir is a fictional story based on contemporary Russian school life,

crafted with meticulous cinematography and authentic ethnic music,
reflecting life's charm through its unique perspective.

The deliberately straight-faced performance style attempts a kind of physical choreography experiment,

straining to break family relationships' stifling atmosphere,
yet ultimately lends Timir's wildly imaginative world an artfully clumsy charm that elicits knowing smiles---

Timir, a city boy,

comes to live in the countryside with his taciturn father.
Both are full of words they cannot speak,
whether in Timir's daily life or within his inner world,
as if waiting for an opportunity to express himself independently and to be truly listened to.

The film's charm lies in this ever-present yet unspoken dialogue.

Was that mediator truly Timir's hallucination?

Why only when frightened by the forest 'ghost' did Timir discover his own bravery?
And why—upon realizing he lived in imagination— did he find himself unable to leave the world his mind had created?

Director Nikolai served as an education teacher at Yakutsk Children's Creative Palace from 2017 to 2022. Prior to this, he completed his professional artistic training at the Arctic State Institute of Culture and Arts, where he began creating award-winning short films and documentaries - including Horse Meat and Uya - which won national competitions in Russia. Since 2020, he has run his own film critique channel focusing on Yakut cinema. Timir marks his feature-length debut.

The story of Timir follows a boy who loses his mother—his dearest loved one.

Child welfare services send him to live with his biological father.

From the beginning he struggles with two burdens —
a father too busy with work to connect with him and constant bullying at school.
This lonely life makes him desperately seek guidance from a mythical sage.

One day,

on his way home,
Timir passes through a forest and meets a strange man — a shadow — like figure who seems to be his lifeline.
Thus begins an extraordinary journey,
and Timir feels his life profoundly transforming.

As part of the international filmmakers' exchange screening,

film professionals from Iran, Belgium, and Indonesia joined young viewers and parents in Chengdu for a shared viewing experience.
Following the film, director Nikolay Koryakin connected via video call from Yakutsk for a Q&A session.
With Russian translation assistance, audiences in both screening halls extended enthusiastic greetings.
After attentively watching the film, children posed thoughtful questions from their perspective:
"Why did the protagonist become close with his bullies?"

"Does the shadow still talk to him when he sleeps?"

Parents and teachers accompanying them also raised questions:
"Is the shadow a reflection of the boy's inner self?"

During the 40-minute session,

questions flowed continuously.
One parent, whose child kept raising hands unanswered, told festival staff:

"Given enough time,

these children would ask questions about every single scene"

Director Nikolay shared with the audience the backstory of this film.

Its inspiration came from his long years living and working near the Arctic Circle.
The film captures rural life around Yakutsk especially the family relationship between Timir and his father.
Though seemingly simple even monotonous such relationships often hold a silent understanding beyond words.
This unspoken connection emerges throughout the story’s turning points
where ordinary moments come alive through the film’s visual texture.

At the end of the Q&A session,

the children collectively sent their wishes to Director Nikolay,
hoping he would create more films and visit China for cultural exchanges.
A young Chengdu participant taught the director an authentic Sichuan dialect phrase,
expressing her hope that he would visit the homeland of giant pandas to experience Chengdu's vibrant life together.

"Bashi de hen!"

Director Nikolay concluded the international screening and
exchange event for Timirwith his newly learned authentic Sichuan phrase.

Timir and the Dry Humor of the Arctic Circle

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