2015
The Gulls (Chaiky)
Set against the icy landscape of contemporary Kalmykia in southern Russia where Buddhism is practiced by the majority, Elza, a young housewife feels trapped in…
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Russian Federation
Ella Manzheeva
Ella Manzheeva was born in the Republic of Kalmykia in 1981. Since childhood she studied music and graduated in violin from Music College. In 2005 she graduated the St. Petersburg State University of Film and Television, specialising in TV and Movie audio engineering. In 2007 she enrolled at the Higher Courses for Scriptwriters and Directors, Workshop of V. Khotinenko, P. Finn, V. Fenchenko. In 2012 she wrote her debut script The Gulls, which was published in the Art of Cinema periodical. In 2013 she participated in the Berlinale Talent Campus #11 as well as the Kultburo Short Film competition.
Ella Manzhieva’s previous short film, Within Her, There’s a Steppe, participated in 20 international film festivals and was awarded the National Character award at Saint Anne’s film festival; besides this it won the German Formula Mundi international film festival. The Gulls is Ella Manzhieva’s feature film directorial debut.
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