NIKA

'A film as delicate as it is explosive'
RogerEbert.com

The movie is based on the true story of Nika Turbina, a once world-famous child poetess who has now been completely forgotten. We attempted to capture Nika in 1999, in a small town in the south of Russia — a time of hope and possible changes.

We shot NIKA on 35 mm film mostly in the real locations of Moscow and Sochi, except for Nika's apartment, which was constructed on a soundstage. The main goal was to create an honest feeling of the late 1990s with all its textures, colors, cassette players, and faith in the future. We meticulously dressed the fantastic locations we chose — the bar, city streets, and the first Russian McDonald's — with all these important details of that era that evoked memories of our childhood and youth. Perhaps that's why NIKA became a very personal and sensitive film.

director / VASILISA KUZMINA

writers / YULIA GULYAN / VASILISA KUZMINA

director of photography / MIKHAIL MILASHIN 

production designer / MARIA SLAVINA 

set decorator / ANNA KOKORNOVA