Mila Teshaieva
Directing
Biography
Mila Teshaieva is an award winning photographer, artist and a documentary filmmaker. Since 2004 Mila has been engaged into long-term projects on the territories of former USSR, in particular, she dedicated many years working in the Caucasus and Caspian Sea region. This work has resulted in her first monograph Promising Waters that was published with Kehrer Verlag in 2013, and book “Faces and Stories of Entrepreneurs”, which she was commissioned and published by Swiss Development and Cooperation in 2015. Mila’s work has received multiple distinctions for her work, among them 1st prize in NPPA Best of Photojournalism 2010, Critical Mass Book Award and PDN Photo Annual and appeared on the pages of Courier International, British Journal of Photography, Time Magazine Lightbox, among many others. Her projects were exhibited internationally, with the most recent solo exhibitions in Museum Art of West Coast (Föhr 2016), Haggerty Museum of Art (USA 2015), Blue Sky Gallery (USA 2015) Photoquai Biennial 2015 and are kept in multiple public and private collections. Mila's two documentary films on the Russian aggression war in Ukraine - When spring came to Bucha (2022) and Shards of Light (2025) - were shown on a number of international film festivals all over the world.
Known For
Showcasing the best in international documentaries, Storyville has developed an enviable reputation since its inception more than a decade ago. Screening over 340 films, from some 70 different countries, the strand has garnered a staggering array of awards: five Oscars, 15 Griersons, three Peabodys and two International Emmys. In true, unique, Storyville style, the new series promises to deliver the strand's usual eclectic mix of compelling stories from across the globe.
Storyville
The residents of Bucha, Ukraine, are rebuilding their city from the rubble after surviving the horrors of Russian occupation. A newly married couple, a schoolgirl, a city official, and an elderly housewife have all endured the painful experiences of war, yet they manage to hold onto hope and solidarity. But how do you rebuild in the wake of growing trauma, especially with war still raging in your country? As time hopes for a peaceful life fade, they must grapple with mounting tensions within their communities. Shot over a three-year period, the film is a follow-up to When Spring Came To Bucha, as five protagonists navigate the complex terrain of inner conflicts, trauma, and a longing for justice, posing questions about the future of a society at war.
Shards of Light
Russians bombarded Bucha, Borodyanka, Irpin and other cities in the region following their invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. By the time they retreated a month later, the damage was huge: buildings had been destroyed and there were corpses lying in the streets. Filmmakers Mila Teshaieva and Marcus Lenz went in immediately, in time to film local people emerging from their shelters, but never showing the actual atrocities. That wasn’t necessary, as the trauma of war is clear to see on everyone’s faces, including those of the volunteers who rushed in from far and wide to help.