World premiere
With My Open Lungs
In the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Jana embarks on a journey of love on the one hand and great chaos on the other. In a war zone, she must deal with heartbreak, resolve family conflicts, and deepen her relationship with Yaroslava, a woman battling brutal lung cancer. The city around them is engulfed in violence and destruction, but their love grows as they brave the merciless storm of war.
Captured over the course of a year, the story is an intimate look at Jana’s journey towards love and happiness in a world that is crumbling and disappearing before her eyes. Despite life’s complexities, love offers comforting hope and peace.
Mikk Granström
Yana Sad graduated as a film director from the Moscow School of New Cinema. Sad has also studied theatre and film acting in St. Petersburg. She lived and worked in Russia as a director of fiction and documentary films and was also involved in theatre projects. In 2019, she wrote, produced, directed and edited her first documentary “To the Left – to Red”. In 2020, Sad’s short film “Regime Change” – about an autistic boy – participated in multiple international short film festivals and won several awards. Sad left Russia in 2022 for political reasons. She currently lives and works in Germany.
With My Open Lungs (2024, doc)