Documentary Competition
Ukrainian, English
(2015 , 72 min.)
Directed by: Holly Morris, Anne Bogart
Screenwriter:
Producers: Holly Morris, Anne Bogart
Cinematographer: Japhet Weeks
Editor: Richard Howard, Mary Manhardt, Michael Taylor
Music: Rob Teehan
Cast: Valentyna Sochenok, Hanna Zavorotnya, Maria Shovkuta
For nearly 30 years a community of unlikely heroines have lived in Chernobyl’s post-nuclear disaster “dead zone.” Stylish and stubborn, these fascinating women have survived, and even thrived, on some of the most toxic land on Earth. They are the last survivors of a community who refused to leave their ancestral homes after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986. But the babushkas aren't the only risk-takers: scientists, bureaucrats and even young men called “Stalkers” (who break in illegally to pursue their video game-inspired fantasies) explore the dystopian Zone and seek out its radioactive grandmas. First-time filmmakers Anne Bogart and Holly Morris’ portrait of a community tells a remarkable tale about the pull of home, the healing power of shaping one's own destiny and the subjective nature of risk.