Director
Tatyana Soboleva
Development support
Heralds from the Big World is a film about selflessness and generosity in Northern Russia. This film follows a group of Russian doctors who every year leave their families for 6 months to sail to the remotest areas of Northern Russia. Here they treat those otherwise cut off by the frozen winter.
Long Synopsis
In the north of Russia, where winter is 6 months long, life is boiling in big cities, rich with money from oil and gas production. Like Khanty-Mansiysk – there are new buildings, theaters, hospitals. Northern villages are poor and forgotten – there are even no roads to some of them. They are isolated. The only link is through the river, when there’s no ice. Five months a year.
Every spring, after ice melts, doctors from city hospital step on a desk of ship-clinic. And hit the road. Dwellers along the river are awaiting them. Children are anticipating – all winter through they’ve heard tales about the ship. They go to the riverbank to hasten its arrival. Grandmothers are waiting for relief – all winter they’ve used traditional medicine, grasses and wise women.
Local inventor Vasiliy is waiting for a ship – he’s not sick, he fell in love with a ship nurse. He’s been suffering all winter through. Brothers Misha and Tolik are waiting, 4 and 6 years old. Tolic plans to become sailor and doctor, Misha wants to escape to Africa on this ship.
At the dock doctors are seen off by relatives – they will be gone for half a year. Farewell hugs… Floated…
For doctors it’s a challenge: 5 months, 20 people together. Live, eat, treat people, spend evenings together. How is it?
The river bend exposes, two worlds meet each other - people from a big land and local residents. What is brought from the outer world, what will be left here?