Life of Ivanna

Ivanna, a 26-year-old mother of five children, is living in the Arctic region in northwest Siberia. She lives a traditional nomadic life, driving her herd of reindeer at the tundra as her family did for centuries. But due to the environmental side effects of climate change most of her reindeers are dying and she knows that she will soon be ruined and forced to make a dramatic decision.
Her husband, Gena, has already left the family. He moved to the city, hoping to find a job as an oil worker in the Russian oil fields but didn’t succeed and spend his time drinking and fighting.
Ivanna is willing to give her marriage a last chance. She will give up her traditional life, leave the tundra, move to the city, and get a job at Gazprom. But time has changed, Gena became violent and alcoholic and Ivanna realizes that the civilized city life is not what she expected.
But there is no way back, Ivanna will have to take life into her own hands and secure a future for her and her five children.

The film follows Ivanna and her family closely for four years through her dramatic life-changes, from the harsh life at the tundra to the modern life in the Siberian city of Dudinka

Information

Original name Life of Ivanna
Original language Russian
Subtitles English
Genre Document
Production year 2021
Running time 80 min
Trailer https://vimeo.com/587735369/ec1d35a22a

Crew

Script Renato Borrayo Serrano
Cinematography Daria Sidorova, Renato Borrayo Serrano
Sound recording Israel Bañuelos; Daria Sidorova
Sound design Israel Bañuelos
Composer Timo Steiner
Editing Renato Borrayo Serrano, Inge-Lise Langfeldt
Director Renato Borrayo Serrano
Producer Vladislav Ketkovich , Ethnofund film company
Co-producer Marianna Kaat, Baltic Film Production

Screenings and awards

Festivals

  • 01.01.2022 Tromsø International Film Festival
  • 30.11.2021 17e édition du Festival international du film d'éducation à Évreux (Grand Prix)
  • 16.11.2021 Doc NYC
  • 02.08.2021 Mdoc, Melgaço (Don Quijote Award)
  • 01.01.2021 CPH:DOX Main competition
  • 01.01.2021 Hotdocs World Panorama
  • 01.01.2021 GoEast Main Competition
  • 01.01.2021 Krakow IFF Main competition
  • 01.01.2021 DOK.fest München, Best of fests
  • 01.01.2021 Docaviv, International competition
  • 01.01.2021 Shanghai international film festival
  • 01.01.2021 Zurich Film Festival
  • 01.01.2021 Human Vision
  • 01.01.2021 El Gouna International Film Festival (Gran Prix Golden Star Award)
  • 01.01.2021 Message to Men (Prize from the Union of cinema clubs)
  • 01.01.2021 Lubeck 63rd Nordic Film Days
  • 01.01.2021 Nordic/Docs Dokumentarfilmfestivalen Fredrikstad (Best documentary over 60 minutes competition Jury´s Honorable mention)

Collaboration

  • Pertti Veijalainen, Illume Oy

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