Russian

2025 ZagrebDox
2025 ARKIPEL

Nika is one of the youngest daughters in the Yamal nomad’s family. The administration of the nearest village should take her to a boarding school very soon, separating her from family and home for a long time. A nomadic teacher must prepare Nika for departure. However, given Nika’s young age, questions arise about how she will cope and whether an alternative might exist. The film’s observational style and beautiful cinematography highlight the complex reality of this transition. Meanwhile, made with close involvement by Nenets representatives, this poignant documentary portrays their rich folklore and raises concerns about children’s rights in a society with limited options.

2025 CPH:DOX
2025 Visions du Réel

Where do you go when the world feels overwhelming and just plain wrong? Can you escape and start anew? This documentary follows its protagonists for nearly a decade, as they try to build a utopian society in the Siberian Taiga. Some of them are followers of a religious community whose leader sees himself as the Son of God and calls himself Vissarion. Since the 1990s, his followers have been building a settlement, high up on a remote mountain, for the society of the future: The Abode of Dawn. The film focuses on the villages surrounding the Abode of Dawn. Fragments and scenes from the lives of the residents shape themselves into a mosaic. Take a step back and you recognize the iridescent image of this place in all its complexity. The film does not ask: Is Vissarion truly the Son of God? Instead, it poses the question: Are the people here happier than they were where they came from?