Back in 1991 when the Albany-Tula Alliance was established in the Capital Region of New York, it was impossible to imagine that meetings of its Board would ever be regularly attended by the ATA Directors located not only in Albany, but also in Tula. When in 2020 the technology and the world situation made long-distance communication not only absolutely accessible but also a necessity, the Board meetings were moved online and several Tulans were invited to join the Board with the invitations gladly accepted. The first two Tula members of the Board of Directors share their impressions and expectations of working closely together with the Americans.
Mikhail Kanaev is the first Director of the ATA who does not speak English. However, this fact does not interfere with his eagerness to develop the sister-city relations between our two cities and to bring them to a new, higher level. Mikhail is a prominent figure in the cultural sphere of Tula and the Tula Region, he is the Vice-Chair of the Tula Film Commission and the adviser on the issues of developing and supporting creative industries to the First Deputy Governor of the Tula Region, Head of the Tula Region Government. Mikhail visited Albany back in 2011 when he took part in the Ballston Spa Film Festival with his short film “By the Score” and returned home with the Festival prize. Mikhail says: “I am grateful to the Albany-Tula Alliance for helping me to organize my trip to the USA where I was able to learn more about Film Commissions and their work. I have been assisting the ATA in making and editing videos of the ATA events on a regular basis. In May 2021 I was nominated for the position of Director in the ATA Board, and being able to join the Board is a big honor for me. My goal is to bring into focus cultural cooperation between our cities and to organize joined projects that will be aimed at the mutual study of cultural codes, exchanging work of arts, participation in festivals. Since it is impossible to work with people without informing them both about the projects and also about the organization that implements these projects, I see as my objective the necessity to shape a positive information field about the Albany-Tula Alliance activity. It is wonderful that people from different countries are able not only to exchange their expertise but also to implement joined projects. This activity exerts positive influence both on trust between individuals and on friendly relations between the countries in general, which is especially important for the current situation”.
Elena Molchanova has been involved in the Albany-Tula Alliance activities since 2002 as translator and interpreter for many ATA projects. Elena sees her role in the Alliance as a person who helps to bridge the language gap and to help Russians and Americans understand each other better.
The Tulans are optimistic about the future of the Albany-Tula Alliance and eager to continue working for the good of our two communities.