"How Dzhabagi Saved the Village": new episode of "The Faraway Kingdom" explores wisdom beyond one's years

Sometimes wisdom is measured not by age, but by the ability to listen to one's native land and take responsibility for others. This is the theme of the fourth episode of the National Centre RUSSIA's original project, the animated series "The Book of Russian Fairy Tales: The Faraway Kingdom" ("The Thrice-Ninth Tsardom"), based on folk tales. The new animated short "How Dzhabagi Saved the Village" is based on a Kabardino-Balkarian legend about a young orphan who saved an entire mountain village from certain destruction.

The main character, young Dzhabagi, must face distrust and make a choice on which the fate of many people depends. It is a story about the importance of being attentive to the signs of nature, not being afraid to go against prevailing opinion and taking responsibility for others. And even if your voice lacks confidence and you have neither a renowned family nor a history behind you, truth and an insightful heart may prove more valuable than many years of experience.

The visual style of the new episode is inspired by the artistic language of the outstanding Ossetian graphic artist and painter Makharbek Tuganov. Its restrained imagery, details and silhouettes evoke the monumentality of the mountains, the power of the Caucasian epic tradition, the authenticity of folk life and the expressiveness of ancient Nart legends, as though carved in stone.

"The Book of Russian Fairy Tales: The Faraway Kingdom" is an original project of the National Centre RUSSIA, a series of short episodes in which a fairy tale from one of the peoples of our country comes to life, accessible to viewers of all ages.

Watch the new episode "How Dzhabagi Saved the Village" on the National Centre RUSSIA social media pages on MAX, Telegram and VKontakte — and discover how the young hero's insight and sense of responsibility proved more valuable to his people than the age and experience of the elders.