How to get to Pechka Festival

For International Participants

Step 1. Submit your film
First things first — make sure your film is in the competition program. Submit your entry through our website. If the selection committee chooses your film, we'll send you an official invitation letter.
- This letter is important: it's your key to everything that follows.
Step 2. Check your visa requirements
Russia has a visa system. Citizens of most countries need a visa to enter.
Here's what to do:
- Check if your country has a visa-free agreement with Russia
- If not, contact the Russian embassy or consulate in your country as early as possible
- Use the official invitation letter from the festival — it will help with your visa application
- Allow at least 4–6 weeks for the visa process
Important: The festival team can provide all necessary documents for your visa application. We'll support you with the paperwork. But the process itself — submitting documents, attending interviews, waiting for approval — is your responsibility. Start early.
Step 3. Book your flights
Once your visa is confirmed, book your tickets.
Recommended route:
- Fly to Moscow (Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, or Vnukovo airport)
- From Moscow, take a train to Vologda (overnight trains are comfortable and save time)
Step 4. Get to the village of Shelota
From Vologda, you have two options to reach the village of Shelota:
By car (recommended for international guests)
- Rent a car in Vologda
- Drive along the M8 highway towards Velsk
- Distance: 162 km
- Travel time: about 2 hours
- Look for the turn to Shelota
By bus
- Take a bus from Vologda bus station
- 3 trips per day
- Travel time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Book tickets in advance, especially during the festival days
Step 5. Where to stay
There are several options:
- Camping — bring your own tent, there's a designated campsite
- Guest houses in Shelota and nearby villages
- Hotels in Velsk (1 hour from the festival) or Verkhovazhye
We recommend booking accommodation well in advance — rooms get booked quickly during the festival.

A few practical notes

Language: Most festival events are in Russian, but we'll have English subtitles for all films
Phone and internet: There's mobile coverage in Shelota, but it can be spotty
Weather: August in the Russian North can be warm during the day and quite cold at night. Bring layers, a raincoat, and warm clothes
Money: Shelota is a village — there's no ATM. Bring cash (rubles) with you

ABOUT SHELOTA

SHELOTA

One of the oldest settlements in the Vologda Oblast. The village is mentioned in historical documents from 1471. Today, Shelot is the administrative center of the Shelot rural settlement, which unites 23 settlements.

The village of Shelot is located 60 km from the district center of Verkhovazhye and 160 km from Vologda.

IN SHELOTA

The homeland of the writer Vladimir Tendryakov

In the village of Makarovskaya (which is part of the Shelotskoye settlement), the writer Vladimir Fyodorovich Tendryakov was born on December 5, 1923. A memorial plaque has been erected at the site of the house where he was born.
Trinity Church

The main attraction in Shelota is the stone two‑story Church of the Life‑Giving Trinity, built in 1820. An earlier church was consecrated in 1798. The church was closed in 1937. Restoration began in the 1990s, and the lower floor was restored in 1998. Now, during the summer period, services are held in the church.
Trinity festivities

The main folk festival in Shelota is the Trinity festivities, which are held in June. The traditions include a religious procession around the church, round dances, songs accompanied by an accordion, and folk games.
The first mention and the emperor’s visit

In June 1858, Emperor Alexander II passed through here along the old Arkhangelsk road. The view that opened up to him from the hill near the Shelotsky volost administration impressed the Sovereign so much that he continued on to the village of Smetaninskaya in an open carriage.