Kantemir Balagov

1945, Leningrad. World War II has devastated the city, demolishing its buildings and leaving its citizens in tatters, physically and mentally. Two young women, Iya and Masha, search for meaning and hope in the struggle to rebuild their lives amongst the ruins.

16 years old Pyteh splits his time between the wrestling mat and his family’s struggling Circassian diner in Newark. A single impulsive decision by his hustling father changes the course of his life, shaping a tale of pride, legacy, and masculinity.

1998, Nalchik. A Jewish family is in trouble: the youngest son and his bride do not come home, and in the morning, a ransom note arrives. The ransom is so high that the family is forced not only to sell its small business, but also to seek help from its fellow tribesmen.

The story of Dante, a graduate of the philological faculty who works on the railroad, pins the tracks to the railroad ties with a terrible noise, and then falls in love with a deaf-mute girl.

Sofichka returns to her native Abkhaz village in Georgia after twenty years of absence. Seeing again home and meeting with villagers take her to memory lane and all Sofichka’s life passes before her eyes: her wedding with Rufus, betrayal of the neighbour Nuri, difficult years of war, exile in Siberia. But in spite of everything, in spite of all the tough experiences, Sofichka continues to believe in people and in life, staying true to the memory of her husband who died young.

About a young scientist from Syria who moves to Russia with his sister. The scientist suffers from a rare disease - "insensibility."

A teenage girl from a dysfunctional family, whose parents keep an inexpensive roadside cafe, runs away from home. "It's not I who left them, they left me," - so the girl explains her flight.

A girl who is serving time in a prison camp is visited by a young man, who is the reason for her being in the camp.

A young man was born in a small Russian city, but now lives in the Caucasus, in a foreign culture. He works as a mountain guide and enjoys life, but remains a stranger among the people he lives with. He will have to leave his carelessness behind and grow up.

A girl named Adiyah runs from her parents' house to a big city for a better life.

A story of teenager who's trying to find himself

Portrait of a young man with a difficult fate. Despite the inherent mental illness, the film's hero earns money for his drinking mother and sister.

Academic work of 4th year of training at Kabardino-Balkar State University (Alexander Sokurov's workshop)

Academic work of 4th courses of the Kabardino-Balkar State University (Alexander Sokurov's workshop).

Story from the life of a young Chechen family, where the woman lives not “by the rules”.

Academic work of 4th courses of training of Kabardino-Balkarian State University (Alexander Sokurov's workshop).

Diploma work of the Kabardino-Balkar State University (Alexander Sokurov's workshop)

About a young guy who lives in the pre-war town with his sick mother. At night, he works at the bakery. Once a colleague asked to look after her daughter. After spending the whole day with the girl, the young man is going to return her to his parents, but finds them dead.