Mila Zhluktenko
Directing
Biography
Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, Mila Zhluktenko studied documentary filmmaking at HFF Munich. Her films have been screened at a number of international festivals including the Berlinale, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, the San Sebastian Film Festival, MoMA’s Doc Fortnight and at Visions du Réel. Her current works co-directed with Daniel Asadi Faezi include Aralkum (Juryprize Visions du Réel) and waking up in silence (Juryprize Berlinale Generation KPlus). Currently they work on their debut feature film.
Known For
Immigrant workers build a shopping mall for the upcoming 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. In 2016, nine people with migrant backgrounds are killed in a racist attack at the same mall.
In retrospect
The Aral “Sea” powerfully reveals the deadly impact of human activities—in this case, the intensive cultivation of cotton in the USSR—on an ecosystem. Daniel Asadi Faezi (The Absence of Apricots, VdR 2018) and Mila Zhluktenko (Find Fix Finish, VdR 2017) film the shore’s last inhabitants, who have lost their way of life to the desertification of their environment. A beautiful and poignant work about our probable future.
Aralkum
A summer’s day in a former German military barrack: children forced to flee Ukraine have found refuge here. In their games, they discover military symbols from the past and link them to their experiences.
Waking Up in Silence
This lesson in political revelation focuses on the shooting down of the Malaysian passenger jet MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014. A meticulous, investigative exposé that lays bare the mechanisms of Russian warfare.
Iron Butterflies
On a road trip across Italy, recent high school graduates Ira, Malin and Ka pick up the intriguing backpacker Zoe. As the four girls stumble across an abandoned village, they start to experiment with the limits of their newly found freedom, away from the expectations of their parents and teachers.
Dead Girls Dancing
One night with the guest and workers at the Kyiv Opera House in Ukraine.
Opera Glasses
Inspired by the events around the life of Lev Rebet, Ukrainian author and editor-in-chief of the Munich-based exile newspaper "Ukrainian Independist", the film portrays the fates of the Ukrainian diaspora in the past and present.
Critical Condition
After studying graphic design, Aline is reluctantly starting her practical training as an art teacher. When her boyfriend leaves her on top of that, she runs off to live with her parents in the countryside. In this moment of crisis, she encounters a Catholic priest who is able to talk about faith outside of religion. Aline is intrigued, but remains critical.
God Is A Beetle
Find Fix Finish delves into the stories of three US-Drone pilots revealing the clandestine operational strategies practiced by the US Government.