When a young man kills his cousin in an accident he is overcome with guilt and, in his grief, commits suicide. His father Ignat, a responsible and devout widower, is left reeling and seeks redemption for his son’s actions. He meets a neglected boy and finds comfort looking after him. But the father of the boy who was killed becomes intoxicated with revenge. The debut feature from Yakut filmmaker, Dimitrii Davydov, is a rare look inside a unique remote culture of the Russian Sakha Republic, 450kms south of the Arctic Circle. The Bonfire subtly yet powerfully depicts the impact of how we grieve, and the delicate proximity between life and death.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and present. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
