Svetlana Yakovleva

In the frigid waters off of Russia’s Bering Strait, Inuit and Chukchi hunters today still seek out the giant sea mammals that have provided their people with food since time immemorial. It is known, that the whale hunting today is controversial and subject to international criticism and regulations. But the Inuit and Chukchi hunt is permitted by international law because of the whaling is the foundation of their culture and their life. The contemporary story of elders Aleksandr and Aleksei blends seamlessly with that of “the woman who gave birth to a whale” and other ancient myths, told here in vivid animation, in this ongoing struggle for survival and preservation of a traditional lifestyle in one of the most remote places on earth.

A village girl, Galya, admires her older sister, Aina. Perhaps when she grows up, she dreams of living in the city with a boyfriend and dressing just as well. Until one day, her mother sends her to the city with her sister and her sister's boyfriend, as if to protect her older daughter from violence.