West Lake International Documentary Festival is a kind of platform for artists and documentary enthusiasts. In addition to film screenings, pitchings, forums and workshops are also very important. The festival is organized annually in autumn by the Chinese Academy of Art on a lake in Hangzhou.
This year’s festival audience had the opportunity to see three Polish documentaries this year. In addition to the award-winning production by Maciej Cuske, the audience was also waiting for “Fat Kathy” by Julia Pełka and “The Tough” by Marcin Polar.
“The Whale of Lorino” follows the story of people who live in one of the most inaccessible and difficult to live places on Earth – the Chukchi Peninsula. Separated by a narrow strait from Alaska, the Peninsula lies at the north-eastern tip of Eurasia, on the Bering Sea and the Chukchi Sea. Currently, Russians, Chukchi and Eskimos live here. The film shows how the ancient tradition of whale hunting brings together various representatives of the local community.
More information about the festival can be found here.