screening format
DCP
aspect ratio
1.33:1 (4:3)
sound format
Stereo
original-language
Russian
subtitles
English
On the last evening before her departure, Vera decides to tell a bedtime fairy tale to her little sister to hide the real reason for her leaving.
director
Zhenia Kazankina
Production
Clémence Crépin Neel, Igor Courtecuisse, Pavel Karykhalin, Sergei Yahontov, Lev Maslov, Andrea Gatopoulos, Marco Crispano, Laura Catalano, Silvio Giannini, Marco Mingolla, Stefano Schiavone
Script
Andrea Gatopoulos, Zhenia Kazankina, Sofia Boteva
Cast
Vera Engalycheva, Lera Yacenko
Editing
Zhenia Kazankina
DOP
Luda Kuropyatnikova
Original Score
- 96 Kbps
Szenenbild / Production Design
Aleksandra Smirnova
Sound Design
Dmitry Krupenya
Festivals
2026
Semaine de la Critique du Festival de Cannes, France
2026
Curtas Vila do Conde - International Film Festival, Portugal
2026
Drama International Short Film Festival, Greece
2026
Shortynale Kurzfilmfestival, Klosterneuburg, Austria
(Best International Film)
2026
Bolton International Film Festival, United Kingdom
2026
Encounters International Short Film Festival, Bristol, United Kingdom
2026
Court Métrange - Festival International de Rennes, France
2026
Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy, Finland
2026
Film Fest Gent, Belgium
2026
Alice nella città, Rom, Italy
2026
Message to Man International Documentary, Short & Animated Film Festival, Sankt Petersburg, Russian Federation
2026
El Gouna Film Festival, Egypt
2026
Internationale Hofer Filmtage, Germany
2026
BOO International Film Festival, Prag, Czech Republic
2026
International Documentary and Short Festival of Kerala, India
2026
Montreal Festival du nouveau cinéma, Canada
2026
TiSFF – Thessaloniki International Short Film Festival, Greece
2026
BOGOSHORTS Bogotá Short Film Festival, Colombia
Production
- Il Varco Cinema
- Andrea Gatopoulos
- +39 329 877 9133
- https://www.ilvarco.net/cinema/
Production
- Moderato
- Igor Courtecuisse
- +33 6 80882449
- https://moderatofilms.com/homepage/
Production
- *Eversince GmbH
- Pavel Karykhalin
- +49 151 55906817
- https://eversince.tv/
Distribution
- Gargantua Film Distribution
- Andrea Gatopoulos
- https://www.gargantuafilm.it/
Sales
- Gargantua Film Distribution
- Marianna Manili
- https://www.gargantuafilm.it/
Zhenia Kazankina
Zhenia Kazankina is a director, screenwriter, and editor based in Rome. Her short films have screened at Cannes, Locarno, Palm Springs, ZINEBI, True/False, and other festivals. Her work explores themes of adaptation, attachment, and the search for belonging.
Filmography
2019 RIO
2022 CONTINUITY OF PARKS
2023 EMPTY ROOMS
2023 THREE SECRET CLUES OF LONGING
2024 NEW
2026 CITY OF OWLS
