Kristina Mikhailova
River Dreams
Along a Kazakh river, women lay bare love, rage and survival. Their voices cut through water and silence, turning scars into resistance.
Armed with radical tenderness, the director dives into the emotional landscape of Kazakhstan through the voices of women along the river. The director, Kazakhstan and the river girls have all just turned thirty, that brutal age when you realise no one is coming to save you. The river girls reveal the scars of being a woman and what it means to resist constant oppression in their homeland. So close your eyes. Drown in river dreams.
Screenings will be followed by Q&A with the director Kristina Mikhailova.
Gewapend met radicale tederheid duikt de regisseur via de stemmen van vrouwen langs de rivier in het emotionele landschap van Kazachstan. De regisseur, Kazachstan en de riviermeisjes zijn allemaal net dertig geworden: die meedogenloze leeftijd waarop je beseft dat niemand je komt redden. De riviermeisjes onthullen de littekens van het vrouw-zijn en wat het betekent om weerstand te bieden aan de voortdurende onderdrukking in hun thuisland. Dus sluit je ogen. Verdrink in rivierdromen.
Na de vertoning volgt een Q&A met regisseur Kristina Mikhailova.
Eastern Neighbours Film Festival
The Eastern Neighbours Film Festival (ENFF) has been bringing audiences closer to the vibrant cinema of Eastern Europe since 2006. Each year at Filmhuis Den Haag, ENFF presents recent and powerful features, documentaries, shorts, and animations, often as Dutch premieres. The festival also offers panels, debates, and conversations with filmmakers and industry professionals.
Join us for the 18th edition from November 4 to November 8, 2026, and discover exceptional films with English subtitles. For the full festival programme, click here.