We Are Doc Women present this screening of Oscar nominated short Anastasia (26mins)
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Sarah McCarthy and activist Anastasia Shevchenko. They will be talking openly about the filmmaking process, and the steps taken to get an Academy Awards nomination. We will ask all attendees to follow Chatham House rules so that everyone feels able to speak freely.
The Q&A will be hosted by Naomi Pallas, and we would like to invite all attendees to join us for drinks in The Garden bar after the screening.
Synopsis:
While Russian activist Anastasia was under arrest, her teenage daughter Alina was hospitalized and died alone, becoming an early example of the Russian regime’s willingness to use the separation of parents and children as a way to silence dissent. This intentional rupture of the parental bond is a denial of the elemental human right to care for our children.
The spiritual and emotional burden that Anastasia carries makes her determination even more remarkable, as she continues to raise her two other children. One morning she gathers them and her elderly mother and takes a train across Russia to the Black Sea, a journey that this intimate story captures with poetic visual grace. Against the bright horizon, they come to terms with the family’s loss, and Anastasia realizes the only way she can continue to fight is to leave her homeland.
About Sarah and Anastasia:
Sarah
Sarah has brought stories from Russia, the Philippines, India, Saudi Arabia, America and the United Kingdom to millions of people in over 35 countries. Sarah premiered films at A-list festivals all over the world, including Telluride, Toronto International Film Festival and DOC NYC. Sarah’s films have been broadcast by HBO, Netflix, Paramount, ESPN, Channel 4 and the BBC.
Sarah’s work has received critical acclaim in The New York Times, Washington Post, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Screen International. She was recently ranked among ‘30 Most Powerful Women in Film’ by Radio Times.
Anastasia
Russian civil rights activist Anastasia Shevchenko has faced strong repercussions for speaking out against her government. She endured house arrest for two years, and became the first person found guilty of 'organising activity of an undesirable organization' by a Russian court, for her work with the Open Russia movement. Amnesty International declared her a 'prisoner of conscience.'
WADW Presents is a series of documentary screenings with Q&As with the women creatives behind the camera. It comes from the team behind We Are Doc Women, a group that was founded in 2017 to provide peer support for women directors working in factual television in the UK. We have grown to become a collective of directors, producers, assistant producers and executive producers advocating for equal opportunities, greater support and fair recognition within our industry.