Smoke Sauna Sisterhood
As women cleanse themselves in smoke saunas, their fears are also washed away. Within the shadows of the sauna, a sacred space where the elements are worshiped, these women are able to confess stories that could not be uttered anywhere else. But in the far away-sacred city of Varanasi, where the elements are equally revered, the echoes of such stories can also be heard in women from another culture but living under similar circumstances.
Artistic team
Director :
Anna Hints
Photography :
Ants Tammik
Sound :
Tanel Kadalipp, Patrick Tubin McGinley
Editing :
Hendrik Hägar, Tushar Prakash, Qutaiba Barhamji, Martin Hännik, Anna Hints
Special effects :
Kristjan Pütsep
Visual effects :
Hendrik Proosa
Sound design and mixing :
Huldar Freyr Arnarson
Colour grading :
Sten-Johan Lill
Original music :
Edvard Egilsson & Eeter
Translation :
Tushar Prakash, Piret Õunapuu, Margus Õunapuu
Production :
Juliette Cazanave, Marianne Ostrat, Hlín Jóhannesdóttir, Anna Hints
Production manager :
Pierre Jestaz
Production
Kepler22 ProductionsAlexandra Film (Estonia)
Ursus Parvus (Iceland)
Partners
Estonian Film InstituteCNC - Aide avant Réalisation à la Production
Fonds Musical de la Sacem - Aide Complémentaire à la Musique Originale
Icelandic Film Center
Sundance Institute Documentary Fund
The Cultural Endowment of Estonia
Tartu Film Fund
Ice and Fire Docs workshop
SVT
Distribution & diffusion
AutlookERR - Eesti Rahvusringhääling (Estonia)
Les Alchimistes (France)
Festivals and awards
AWARDS
Sundance Film Festival 2023 Directing Award : World Cinema Documentary
SFFILM 2023 McBaine Documentary Feature Award
Millennium Docs Against Gravity 2023 Newsweek Psychologia Award
Millennium Docs Against Gravity 2023 Special Mention The City Of Poznań Freedom Award
Eurimages Audentia Award 2023 for Best Director from the Cultural Fund of the Council of Europe at the Beldocs International Documentary Film Festival
Guanajuato International Film Festival 2023 Special Jury Mention International Docummentary Feature
Sofia Documental 2023 Best Film by a Female Director
The Estonian Documentary Guild « Doki Kild »
Best Film at All About Freedom Festival 2023 (Poland)
Outstanding Female-Led Feature Film at Cinéfest Sudbury IFF 2023 (Canada)
FIPRESCI Award at Viennale 2023
Best Baltic Film at Tallinn Black Nights FF 2023 (Estonia)
Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival 2023 (San Francisco, USA)
Best Cinematography at IDA Documentary Awards 2023 (USA)
Best documentary winner at the European Film Awards 2023
Harpa Nordic Film Composer Award 2023 for the score "Smoke Sauna Sisterhood" for Huldar Freyr Arnarson and Edvard Egilsson, in collaboration with Eater
Best Documentary Feature (tied with “American Symphony”) at Alliance of Women Film Journalists EDA Awards 2023
Best Film of 2023 at Estonian Film Journalists Association Award ‘Neitsi Maali’
Outstanding Cinematography - Ants Tammik at Cinema Eye Honors 2024
International Documentary Grand Prize at FIPADOC 2024 (Biarritz, France)
Oscar pre-selection - Best Foreign Film (Estonian contribution)
Oscar pre-selection - Best Documentary
Nomination at the Lux Prize 2024, European film award
Producers Guild of America PGA Awards 2024 - Outstanding Producing of a Documentary Motion Picture
Nomination for Outstanding Cinematography at Cinema Eyes Honors 2024 (USA)
Nomination for Outstanding Debut at Cinema Eyes Honors 2024 (USA)
Nomination for Outstanding Sound Design for Huldar Freyr Arnarson and Edvard Egilsson at Cinema Eyes Honors 2024 (USA)
Nomination for Audience Choice Prize at Cinema Eyes Honors 2024 (USA)
Nomination for Best Documentary at the Critics Choice Awards 2024 (USA)
Nominated for Outstanding Debut Film at the Critics Choice Awards 2024 (Los Angeles, USA)
Nomination of America Outstanding Production of Documentary Feature for Marianne Ostrat at Producers Guild of America (USA)
Best Editing Award nomination for Hendrik Mägar, Tushar Prakash, along with Qutaiba Barhamji, Martin Männik and Anna Hints at IDA
SELECTIONS
CPH:DOX 2023 selection in the « Next Wave » category
Selection Stockfish Film Festival & Industry Days. Hong Kong International Film Festival 2023 selection in the "Firebird award" category
Seattle International Film Festival 2023
DOC NYC 2023
Hamptons IFF 2023
Millenium Docs Against Gravity 2023
AFI Fest 2023
Official selection at the Hot Docs Festival 2023
Opening film at FestivalDocs Barcelona 2023
Sydney Film Festival 2023
Sheffield DocFest 2023
Tallinn Black Nights 2023
Docs Ireland 2023
Filmfest Munich 2023
Ambulante Documentary Film Festival 2023
Guanajuato FF 2023
Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco International FilmFestival 2023
Official selection at Zurich Film Festival 2023 documentary competition 2023
IDFA 2023
Special Mention at Riga IFF 2023 (Lettonie)
Special Mention at CinEast 2023 (Luxembourg)
Zagreb FF 2023
Jio Mami Mumbai FF 2023
FIDOCS 2023