IFF Rotterdam 2025: The Legends Of Eternal Snow by Alexei Romanov from Sakha

54 International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) presents "The Legends Of Eternal Snow" in the frame of program "Harbour".

IFF Rotterdam 2025

"The Legends Of Eternal Snow" in the frame of program "Harbour".

In old Yakutia, young and beautiful Kiluk is sold by her parents as a bride. Escorted to her husband by three guards, she tries to break freefrom her dreadful fate. Love and ghosts meet in this deeply authenticmystical fairy tale set against the breathtaking scenery of the Sakha Republic.

In the wintry steppes of old Yakutia, Khabyy, a lone wolf burdened by a painful secret from his past, embarks on a mission to deliver Kiluk, a young girl, to an aging prince. Sold by her parents as a bride in exchange for a wealthy dowry, Kiluk is determined to escape her forced marriage, clashing with Khabyy’s unwavering resolve to fulfill his task. Only Nyukus, his young assistant, sympathises with Kiluk and secretly yearns to help her break free from her dreadful fate.

At its core, The Legends of Eternal Snow embodies the spirit of Sakha cinema, an independent film movement that originated in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), the largest and easternmost republic of Russia. Produced without state support and distributed primarily within the region, Sakha films have become a vital representation of the Yakutian culture, showcasing its syncretic mythologies and shamanic beliefs.

In this adaptation of the classic Yakutian ghost story Maappa, Sakha cinema pioneer Aleksei Romanov weaves a mystical fairy tale about lost love and the haunting pull of ancestral roots – a calling that inevitably comes for those who abandon their heritage in a desperate yet doomed attempt to reinvent themselves. Rich in ethnographic details, from vast Siberian landscapes to intricate costumes and indigenous Yakutian languages, Romanov’s film carries its authenticity with a profound sense of tenderness and humility, amplifying its natural beauty and magic.

 Evgeny Gusyatinskiy

Trailer

Country of production: Sakha Republic, Russia

Year: 2024

Length: 80'

Format: DCP

Premiere status: Dutch premiere

Director: Alexei Romanov

Producer: Sardana Savvina

Production company & Sales & World rights holder: Sakhafilm 

World premiere: Bishkek IFF, June-2024, Best film of International competition