The International Competition Program of the XVII International Documentary Film Festival Flahertiana is announced. 15 films were selected to the shortlist including ones from Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Korea, Russia, Austria, France, the Netherlands and other countries. For the first time, the Georgian filmmaker will participate in the International Competition. All films are made in 2016 and 2017 and chosen by the Selection Committee of Flahertiana from more than 700 applications as well as from the largest European film festivals, basing on aesthetic principles of Robert Flaherty.

Two films of the competition were created by the classics of the contemporary documentary cinema. Helena Třeštíková was shooting "A Marriage Story" for a very long time – 35 years. Her camera became a witness of joys and sorrows of a family from the very first days of its life, and the audience can evidence the history which works in mysterious ways. Another notorious filmmaker is Michael Glawogger, author of the film "Untitled", who went to a journey saying: "This film seeks to create an image of the world that can only be made if you don't follow a topic, try to judge or pursue a particular aim. It’s about allowing oneself to drift along, propelled by nothing except your own curiosity and intuition". During the work on this film, Michael Glawogger suddenly passed away, however, his work was finished by his faithful editor Monika Willi. From all the material shot she created an epic documentary picture. Meditative road-movie was already screened at Berlinale and in September the Jury and audiences of Flahertiana will be able to see it as well.

As mentioned above, two Russian films will also take part in the struggle for the Big Golden Nanook and money prize of 250 thousand roubles. They are "Third-Class Travel" by Rodion Ismailov which tells the story of Moscow – Vladivostok train and its passengers, and "Competition" by Evgeny Khovaev about four pianists, winners of the XV International Tchaikovsky Competition. Another film connected to Russia was shot by Olga Delane who has Russian origins. "Siberian Love" tells about her journey to motherland in a small Russian village after 20 years in Germany to see her relatives. Olga asks them "what is love?" and gets the most surprising answers from simple Russian men, the answers that appear to be much deeper and wiser than European ideas on native land, relationships and life on the whole. Olga Delane will visit Perm to present her film personally.

As noticed by the selectors and Alina Stabrovskaya, Chief Coordinator of the festival, foreign documentary cinema in recent years has the tendency to talk about special people with congenital diseases and thus to change common views on them. At Flahertiana there will be one of such films, "The Grown Ups" by Maite Alberdi, telling about four men with Down's syndrome. Characters of Alberdi feel that they are ready for the grown-up life but those who surround them don't share the same opinion. "This year the documentary filmmakers managed to understand deeply the world view of people with Down's syndrome. I hope that the viewer will finally doubt that they should be considered diseased», comments Pavel Petchenkin, the President of Flahertiana. "The Grown Ups" was already screened on IDFA, Visions du Reel, Hot Docs, DOC Point and now it comes to Perm to have its Russian premiere in September.

International Competition Short-List of the XVII International Documentary Film Festival Flahertiana:

A Marriage Story (The Czech Republic, dir. Helena Třeštíková)

Calabria (Switzerland, dir. Pierre-Francois Sauter)

Communion (Poland, dir. Anna Zamecka)

Mattress Men (UK, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, dir. Colm Quinn)

Ouaga Girls (Sweden, Burkina Faso, France, Qatar, dir. Theresa Traore Dahlberg)

Siberian Love (Germany, dir. Olga Delane)

Singing With Angry Bird (South Korea, dir. Hyewon Jee)

The Competition (Russia, dir. Evgeny Khovaev)

The Dazzling Light of Sunset (Georgia, Germany, dir. Salome Jashi)

The Good Postman (Finland, Bulgaria, dir. Tonislav Hristov)

The Grown Ups (Chile, Netherlands, France, dir. Maite Alberdi)

Third-Class Travel (Russia, dir. Rodion Ismailov)

Untitled (Austria, Germany, dir. Michael Glawogger, Monika Willi)

Waiting for Giraffes (Netherlands, dir. Marco De Stefanis)

Zona Franca (Chile, France, dir. Georgi Lazarevski)