ARKHANGELSK, November 2. /TASS/. Filming of the 15 Miles of Light Virtual Reality (VR) series, telling five stories of the northern seas, lighthouses and expeditions, began in the Arkhangelsk Region. The project's scripts, filed from different regions and even countries, were selected in a competition, the project's leader Tamara Statikova told TASS.

"Right now, the project is approaching the filming - we are looking forward to a few busy days at the theater, museum and educational venues in Arkhangelsk and Severodvinsk: the Arkhangelsk Viktor Panov Youth Theater, the Severodvinsk Drama Theater, the Arkhangelsk College of Culture and Art, and the Northern Maritime Museum. We are working closely with the Arkhangelsk branch of the Russian Theater Society, which supports the project and helps organize the filming process," the project's leader said.

Experts of the Northern Maritime Museum have selected five true stories about events that happened at lighthouses and at sea. "The Tragedy at the Lighthouse" is a story about how caretakers at the Zhuzhmuy Lighthouse in the White Sea died in the winter of 1873. "The Navigator of Polar Seas" tells about one of the most important professions on any ship - about those responsible for passage planning. The third topic, "Dead Man's Chest," offers a look at the history of a particular person through marine life and objects. "The Race for the Arctic. Georgy Sedov" invites the audience to speculate about the author of the expedition to the North Pole. "Why the Svyatogor Was Sunk" is a story about the most powerful icebreaker of the early 20th century.

Each of the five stories will be different from others. In one episode, the viewer will take the place of Georgy Sedov and will hear uncomfortable questions about his expedition. Another episode will be a film about a tragedy at the lighthouse: the viewer will see how the expert commission that arrived at the scene discovered the dead team. "It is important for us not just to retell historical events, but to find ways of telling stories so that the viewer could have a feeling of being inside the event," the project's leader added.

According to her, The 15 Miles of Light is also a training program for the regional film industry and an opportunity for local residents to gain new skills. "We want students to gain real production skills, learn modern technologies and try professions that are in demand in the film industry. One of important objectives that the project has is to train regional specialists, expand their competencies and create conditions for creative industries' development in the North," she said. "We hope the gained experience would not to remain inside one laboratory, we hope it will become the basis for new creative teams and projects in the Arkhangelsk Region."

The VR series will become part of the Northern Maritime Museum's permanent exhibition. Actors from the Arkhangelsk Lomonosov Drama Theater, the Viktor Panov Youth Theater, and the Severodvinsk Drama Theater will take part in the film's episodes.