THE HOPE FACTORY

A harsh Arctic wind blows in the industrial centre of Norilsk in the far north of Russia. The greyish air is chemically contaminated and the outlook anything but bright for the young generation. Local kids often take refuge in what’s left of the countryside, where they get out of their heads on drugs or vodka. In the middle of all this we see two young women who couldn’t be more different: depression-prone Sveta who’s missing her boyfriend, and smart girl Nadya, who the locals call a slag. The two deadly rivals share the same dream: to get away at the first opportunity. The path to freedom proves to be anything but easy. Sveta’s family is determined to make her stay put, and Nadya resorts by immoral means to get hold of the necessary cash. Natalia Meshchaninova’s feature debut is a realistic description of a side of Russian life seldom shown in Russian productions, captured in documentary-like images amply demonstrating the productive potential of provincial Russian life as subject-matter for films.

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NATALIA MESHCHANINOVA
Born 1982 in Krasnodar, Russia.
After graduating from Kuban State University of Culture and Arts, she specialized in directing for film and television, and also worked for Krasnodar television. She has made several documentaries and co-produced a television serial. Her debut feature KOMBINAT NADESHDA / THE HOPE FACTORY ran in competition at International Film Festival Rotterdam.


FILMOGRAPHY (SELECTION)
2006 / MOY SVET / MY WORLD (short, doc)
2007 / GERBARIY / HERBARIUM (doc)
2008 / OCHOTA ZA VOROTA / HUNTING FOR THE GATES (doc)
2008 / BLAGIYE NAMERENIYA / GOOD INTENTIONS (doc)
2014 / KOMBINAT NADESHDA / THE HOPE FACTORY