San Francisco and Vladivostok Photographers Build a “Photo Bridge” Across Pacific

Photo exhibit poster.
People stand, listen to a speaker (Photo by State Dept)
Exhibit opening.

On October 7, U.S. Consulate General Vladivostok supported a spectacular international movie and photo exhibit entitled, “Freeze Frame! Look How Beautiful it is!” demonstrating “ the beauty, spirit, and similarities”  between Vladivostok and San Francisco.   The Consulate partnered with Vladivostok State University of Economics and Services (VSUES) and the local video studio “Seven”  to organize a photo exhibit of photographers from Vladivostok and San Francisco  portraying  the wonders and people on both  sides of the Pacific. Upon PAS request, two professionals from the Bay Area – Colin Johnson and Eisuke Muroga – presented a dozen of their works, which were located besides their Russian colleagues’ photos.  The connecting element was a big TV screen showing a trailer for a fictional movie by local filmmaker Vladimir Sidenko  in which a family crossing the Zolotoy Bridge in Vladivostok suddenly finds themselves driving on … the Golden Bay Bridge in San Francisco! Speakers at the opening ceremony, including Vladivostok CG Michael Keays, as well as media reports, referred to this week-long event as a project that stresses the goodwill and positive “human factor” of Russian-American relations.