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Waiting for a Miracle

DirectorAljona Surzikova
ProducerUlo Pikkov – Silmviburlane; Diafilm
WriterAljona Surzikova
CameraSergei Trofimov
EditorAljona Surzikova, Sergei Trofimov, Heilika Pikkov
CastAljona Surzikova, Sergei Trofimov
ScreeningSaturday 9 November | 13:15 hours | Filmhuis Den Haag
Sunday 10 November | 12:30 hours | Filmhuis Den Haag
Original TitleOODATES IMET
Year2018
Length14 min
CountryEstonia
SubtitlesEnglish
SectionShort Films, Big Stories

A woman’s biggest joy is giving the gift of life to a new human being. The biggest pain – the loss of a child – helps to see the beauty in life. A film about life and how miraculous it is that we are alive. Dutch Premiere

Synopsis

Aljona is waiting for a baby birth. Happiness is in the air, but a huge problem causes change. The filmmaker turns the camera upon herself and her family to capture the excitement and mayhem of the arrival of a new-born. When events take an unexpected turn, the viewer is drawn into the turmoil and we see the most taboo topic in the film, birth and death.

Director’s bio

Aljona Suržikova was born 1982 in Tallinn. She studied in Tallinn University (TV directing) and Saint Petersburg State University of Cinema and TV documentary film. She has made broadcasts and documentaries for the following channels: ETV, ETV2 (Estonia), Kanal2 (Estonia), Kanal Kultura (Russia), TV5 (Russia). Aljona is well-known director in Eastern Europe, Baltics and Russia. Her films got a lot of prizes at different festivals.

Festivals & Awards (selection)

HotDocs, Toronto 2019 | Vision Du Reel, International Film Festival Nyon 2019 | FIKE – Évora International Short Film Festival, 2019 | Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival, Czech Republic 2019 – Silver Eye Award (Special Mention)