BEANPOLE New Auteurs

RUSSIA OFFICIAL INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM OSCAR® SUBMISSION

Talent attending: Kantemir Balagov (Director)

Amid the aftermath of war-ravaged Russia, Iya (Viktoria Mironshnichenko), a nurse nicknamed “Beanpole” for her lanky stature, cares for injured soldiers as well as her best friend’s son Pashka. While working around the clock at the hospital, she must confront and navigate her debilitating PTSD as she experiences sudden seizures that paralyze her entire body. When Masha, the woman she loves, returns from the war under the most devastating of circumstances, the two women fight to survive their nightmarish existence, finding solace in their connection to one another against the backdrop of a shattered nation. This somber, yet searing, drama from Russian wunderkind Kantemir Balagov won the Best Director Award in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard sidebar and the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Film. –Lane Kneedler