MAKHACHKALA, September 14 – RIA Dagestan. Timed to coincide with the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia, the "Cultural Bridges" interregional festival officially opened today along the seaside Suleyman Stalsky Boulevard in Makhachkala. Implemented with support from the Russian Culture Fund, the initiative introduces attendees to a youth film lecture hall and a major craft exhibition titled "Traditions of the Future."
Local masters demonstrate a wide array of regional skills, including Balkhar ceramics, intricate Kaitag embroidery, Dakhadayevsky jewelry and the traditional weaving of tastars and carpets. Broadening the geographic scope, the festival also features Ingush artisans presenting beadwork and pottery, as well as Chechen craftsmen showcasing forged items, paintings, and national musical instruments.
Festival visitors enthusiastically participate in interactive master classes, where experienced artisans teach the foundational skills of loom weaving, metal chasing and decorative inlay.
The event's second venue, the "Russia in Frame" youth video club, was inaugurated by Salam Khavchaev, who highlighted the vital role of documentary cinema in immortalizing the cultural and spiritual heritage of various ethnic groups. Screenings featured a diverse array of ethnographic films, including the award-winning "The Eccentric from Chukhna" about choreographer Dzhamaludin Muslimov, alongside documentaries detailing regional rain-calling rituals, spring festivals and traditional wedding ceremonies.
Programming for the festival's final day on September 14 includes a strategic roundtable at R. Gamzatov National Library, a folklore workshop, ongoing artisan exhibits and a culminating "Rhythms of Traditions" concert outside the Avar Musical and Drama Theater.