On the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, between the villages of Kovran and Verkhnee Khairyuzovo, stands Mountain Elvel. With this place is connected the story of the beautiful Elvel and the people who love her. The legend was preserved and passed down by the famous Itelmen Elder Tatyana Evstropovna Gutorova.
The film Elvel is the result of a multi-year international collaboration aimed at reviving the ancient story and supporting the revitalization of the Itelmen language and culture. On screen, the heroes of the legend come to life through shadow and puppet theater, Itelmen songs and melodies, and the memories of the Elders.
Project partners: Itelmen folklore dance groups “Elvel” and “Algu”, the Council of Itelmens “Tkhsanom”, the youth NGO “Friendship of Northerners”, the ethnographic mapping lab at the University of Victoria, CHAKPuppetry, and the linguistics department at Harvard University.