Competition Programme  

The eastern Ukrainian town of Snezhnoje, which prospered during the Soviet era when miners there were spoiled with all kinds of privileges, now lives in poverty. Years ago, the town’s desperate residents decided to start mining on their own; they excavate everywhere: in abandoned mines, under the basements of demolished buildings, in the neighbourhood woods, as well as in their own vegetable gardens. Everybody digs – women, retirees, unemployed miners and even the children. The story focuses on the Sikanov family, which has three children. The grandfather was a powerful plant director during the Soviet era and the grandson, 15-year-old Yura, is now working as a miner in the illegal pit. He has a dream of becoming a cook and having his own restaurant, but now he must support two sisters by digging coal.

Festivals

Cape Winelands Film Festival, South Africa, 2011
One World Romania Documentary Film Festival, Romania, 2011
ZagrebDOX International Documentary Film Festival, Croatia, 2011
Crossing Europe Film Festival, Austria, 2011
DOXA Documentary Film Festival, Canada, 2011

Marianna Kaat

Marianna Kaat was born in Tallinn (Estonia). She graduated from the St.Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy, Russia. 1986 - PhD. Till 1991 she worked as a script editor, developer and a director for Eesti Telefilm Studio. For five years she worked as a manager of the acquisition for Estonian National Television. In 1998 Marianna founded her own production company Baltic Film Production and since then she has produced and directed documentary films and serials for different TV channels. She was selected as the European Trailblazer, one of the seven documentary filmmakers from different regions of the world to be honoured at MIPDOC 2009 in Cannes.

Selected Filmography

The Last Phantoms / Maria teatri fantoomid (2006)
Kalinovski Square (producer) / Kalinovski väljak (2007)
Lobotomy (producer) / Lobotoomia (2010)