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Exclusive Private Screening of a Banned Russian Filmmaker
From raw documentaries to full-length dystopian fiction, this is your chance to experience the bold work of Svetlana Sigalaeva.
Witness the evolution of her craft—from a film shot inside a women’s penal colony to her latest masterpiece, Dankova: a feature-length warning to the future. Banned by Russian censors, this groundbreaking film found a home in the UK, where Sigalaeva, supported by the British Ministry of Culture and a Global Talent Visa, is bringing Dankova to life in London.
Date: February 1, 2025. Time: 6:00 PM
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to discover the voice of a rising director breaking boundaries in modern cinema.
Special Event: After the screening, join us for an intimate discussion with director Svetlana Sigalaeva in the cozy atmosphere of the Riverside Bar.
FILM LINEUP:
1. Not with us (2012) – 43:30 min
“When I am released, I will simply move from one prison to another.” – Oscar Wilde.
Freedom is rarely with us. “Those who are not with us are against us,” reads the inscription by the entrance of a correctional facility—a stark reminder of the system’s grasp.
Awards:
• First Prize for Best Documentary at the 19th Open Festival of Student and Debut Films “Saint Anna.”
• Audience Choice Award and Best Documentary Directing Award at the 32nd VGIK International Film Festival.
• Diploma at the 9th International Women’s Film Festival KIN.
• First Place in the Documentary Competition at the “Man Discovering the World” Film Festival (2012).
Festival Selections:
• The Paris Lesbian & Feminist Film Festival
• EAST SILVER MARKET 2012 (Prague)
• “Stalker” Human Rights Film Festival (2012)
• Russian Documentary Program at the 34th Moscow International Film Festival (MIFF)
• Side by Side LGBT Film Festival
2. Kardo (2013) – 30:30 min
Kardo is the son of Russian immigrants living in Stockholm, Sweden. He’s just like everyone else, but he believes he has a unique gift: the ability to see the future. Kardo is convinced that an apocalypse is looming, one that will destroy the entire world—except Russia. Determined to save Russian immigrants in Sweden, he sets out to bring them back to their homeland before it’s too late. But even under the threat of an apocalypse, will these immigrants be willing to leave the comfort of their Swedish haven?
Awards:
Kansk International Video Festival - Grand Prix, St. Anna Festival - Special Prize, Kinolikbez - Golden Jean-Luc award, Northern Wave International Film Festival, Glasgow Short Film Festival, TEMPO Film Festival, Festival des Cinémas Différents de Paris, Kinoshock Film
Festival, IFF "Pacific Meridians"
3. Here Lives (2022) – 18 min
A familiar story of Romeo and Juliet retold through three perspectives, each revealing its own truth: the story as seen by the mother, the story as seen by the daughter, and the same private story as portrayed by the media.
4. Dankova (2024) – 30:33 min
Written and directed by Svetlana Sigalaeva
Produced by Natalia Belyaeva, William Johansson Kalen
DoP Konstantin Ivanov
Sound by Victor Romanov
Production Designer Marina Shirokova
Cast: Anna Patokina, Anna Galinova, Lyudmila Lisova, Taras Shevchenko, Alexander Mizev, Viktor Kuzin, Pavel Lobazov, Angelina Pakhomova, Evgenia Lyakh, Olga Matushkina
In the New World, when the weather turns bad, you must wear a gas mask instead of a hat.
In the New World, it is very difficult to die of old age, for medicine has reached unprecedented heights. In the New World, a child's bad behaviuor can ruin their parents' rating. But in truth, the New World is not so different from our present or past. The eternal issues of parents and children, love and betrayal, conformity and rebellion remain. The "repressed" always returns in the form of a catastrophe. Dankova is being treated for her love addiction, for in the New World, they have proven that love is a sickness. Dankova is a rebellious teenager who wants to change the New World, not play by its rules.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/719516108?badge=0&autopau…
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT:
The writer Maksim Gorky created a character named Danko, who tore out his burning heart to light up the way for others. Dankova is named after him. In some sense, Dankova is my personal story told through the language of a dystopian tale. Dankova has a continuation. One day, this short film will help me find producers, allowing me to tell the whole story of Dankova and the New World.
BIOGRAPHY:
Svetlana Sigalaeva was born on 04.11.1988 in Moscow, Russia. In 2013 graduated from the Gerasimov Russian State University of Cinematography (VGIK) as a film director. Director and screenwriter of 13 short films that took part in and won over 70 film festivals in 16 countries.
Due to the political situation in the Russian Federation, my new projects cannot be implemented on the territory of my country. Some of my projects and even mentions of my works are blocked and deleted. All of my body of work has a social subtext, and that's why my films deeply affect the audience around the world, and are blocked in Russia.