ARKHANGELSK, February 13. /TASS/. A full-length documentary about how young scientists work on the Arctic islands - In Love With Arctic - was released in Arkhangelsk. Anastasiya Lomakina, the film's author and director, told TASS she wanted to show what attracts young researchers to the Arctic, and to present their personal stories.
"For quite a time it's been my dream to make such a film. I've been working in the Arctic for five years, I know scientists who work there. I've noted that whenever there were stories about those people, they were about what they study, why their work is important, but never those are stories about the people. My idea was to show the science by telling about people. To show what kind of people are working there, what they sacrifice for the sake of discoveries, to show their feelings and emotions, what makes them come to that freezing severe land. I wanted to show those who make the Arctic sciences," she said.
The film was shot during the Arctic Floating University voyage on the Professor Molchanov research/scientific vessel in summer, 2022. It was the tenth year for this project, organized by Northern Arctic Federal University (SAFU) and Sevhydromet (the national hydrometeorology service's Northern branch). Since 2012, the Floating University's expeditions have been exploring waters and islands of the White, Barents and Kara Seas. The project's 15 voyages have featured more than 700 researchers and students. For scientists, this is a unique opportunity to get to hard-to-reach territories, such as the Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land archipelagos; and for students - it is a rare opportunity to see the high-latitude Arctic and to understand whether they want to continue professional activities there.
From student to professor
The expedition's deputy leader on scientific work, Anna Trofimova, is one of the key characters. She participated in the very first expedition when still a student. It was almost incidentally, she said. Since then, she has participated in almost all the voyages. The first one, in 2012, was the longest - 40 days. Without any contacts with the family or friends.
"Normally, everything gets too bad exactly in the middle of the trip. I remember how I was crying, sitting in a rubber boat, when the Russian Arctic National Park's inspector came up to me and offered a satellite phone so that I could make a call home. I realized it was very expensive and that there were many of us - the girls who wanted to call home, but anyway I did agree. I can remember how I was shouting to my parents that I was alive, that I love them, and asked if everything was fine at home. This conversation continued for 17 seconds, after which I didn't notice how the expedition's second half went on," the scientist said, adding in recent expeditions the participants have the Internet access and they may contact their relatives practically at any time.
According to her, that participation in the first expedition predetermined her further scientific career. She used to study Chemistry. During the first trip, she worked in hydrometeorology. During the following expeditions - the studied soils and general environmental risks in the Arctic. She received an international Master's degree and began working as a researcher under a Russian mega-grant to study how pollutants spread through the Arctic region. For such studies, the Professor Molchanov vessel has a specially equipped mobile laboratory.
The scientist admitted she suffered seasickness, but this could not stop her from taking part in expeditions again and again, although she realized that storms are inevitable. "On my first trip, there was an experienced polar explorer - Sergey Oleinik. He told me: people like you come back to stay here. Back then I thought: Oh, no! But - he turned out to be absolutely right," she said.
Personal stories
Hydrometeorologist Ekaterina Zotova, a leading engineer at the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI, St. Petersburg), during the expedition studied how the atmosphere's semi-aquatic layer in the Barents and Kara Seas are affected by the climate change. She managed a team of students who observed the cloud cover. "The Arctic attracts by its inaccessibility. It's only natural to feel like a pioneer: to visit places where few people have been. Also, the stunning beauty: the Arctic landscapes are fascinating, it's unusual to see snow in summer," she told TASS, adding that on the first voyage to the Arctic she practically had no idea what to expect. With time, the Arctic "overwhelmed" her, and Ekaterina's greatest desire was to explore it further on.
For the film's cameraman Ilya Trufanov, that was the first Arctic voyage. Before it, he only edited the footage shot in the high-latitude Arctic, and those were fascinating images. During the expedition, he said, everything was interesting. "I've never thought chemistry or biology could be so exciting. And, of course, the most interesting and exciting was the film production," he told TASS. "Having been there, I'm simply unable to drop the idea of returning there. My dream is that the people dear to me could visit the Arctic, like I have. However, I do understand that such a possibility is not an easily chance. Therefore, it's already a great opportunity to show people what the Arctic is really like, even in the format of a film. So that they could get closer to the far-away and harsh Arctic, which is so warm and so dear to my heart."
The film's author stressed how important it was to show individual stories, emotional stories and how the people were searching for their ways in life. "There was another emotionally complex aspect. I, so to say, was turning out their souls. I was highly responsible not to cross the line, not to show anything too personal, and to understand what could be made public. They are overwhelmed with the Arctic, they are madly in love with it, it is the engine of their work - their great and sincere love for this territory and for their professions," she said.
Arctic Floating University
The Arctic Floating University expedition's leader Alexander Saburov told TASS the film will motivate school graduates, students and future explorers to choose Arctic as their professional focus. "We need specialists in ecology, in hydrometeorology, in other disciplines. Thus, we really hope the film will attract new people to sciences," he said, adding the project's objective is to attract most motivated and talented students who care for scientific studies. "It is a very important stage of the professional growth. Not only from the scientific point of view, but also in the emotional aspect, it demonstrates to them the future work and career growth," he added.
For 2023, the Arctic Floating University plans new expeditions to the polar islands and archipelagoes.
Prior to the release, the In Love With Arctic documentary film won the pitching of the 2nd international film festival in Arkhangelsk. The documentary was supported by the Arkhangelsk Region's Union of Cinematographers and government.
The Arctic Floating University is a joint project of the Northern Arctic Federal University and Sevhydromet (the national hydrometeorology service's Northern branch). Year 2022 was the project's tenth anniversary.