Full-length documentary

Nice Ladies

(Nice Ladies)

Dancing lets them forget about life’s difficulties. In competitions they succeed next to women a generation younger. Their energetic performance overcomes prejudices. They share a joy of movement, a sense of humour, and deep friendships.

War breaks up this atypical cheerleading team from Kharkiv, Ukraine. Sveta moves to Amsterdam with her grandson and other family, but the core of the team remains in the bombed city. The women keep in touch and support each other. But the division between those staying and those leaving is emotionally challenging.

The story of the unconventional cheerleaders is also a personal testimony of leaving one’s homeland and with it a part of one’s identity that will be difficult to reclaim.

Migration Lifestyle Ukraine

Basic information about the film

Title	Nice Ladies
Original Title	Nice Ladies
Original Language	Russian, Ukrainian
Subtitles	Czech, English
Premiéra	Czech premiere
Film type	Full-length documentary
Year of Production	2024
Country of Origin	Netherlands, Ukraine
Length	97 min.
Tags	Migration, Lifestyle, Ukraine
Director	Mariia Ponomarova
Sales	CAT&Docs Maëlle Guenegues maelle@catndocs.com

All screenings

03/15 20:30	Bio Oko Františka Křížka 15, Praha 7		Discussion Aleš Matějka, Moderator Mariia Ponomarova, Director	Tickets
03/17 15:00	Edison Filmhub Jeruzalémská 1321/2, Praha 1		Discussion Eva Mrázková, Moderator Mariia Ponomarova, Director	Tickets

Female Gaze

A woman is sitting in a car and looking at the papers she is holding in her hand.

Full-length documentary

Black Box Diaries

In Japan, up to 90% of rape victims don’t seek police help. Journalist Shiori Itō breaks the silence. After being raped during a job interview by a man closely tied to the prime minister, she launches a fight for justice that leads her into the dark corners of the Japanese legal and social systems.

A woman is standing on stage and a man next to her is holding a microphone.

Full-length documentary

Edhi Alice

The protagonists are 2 Korean trans women: Edhi is a queer activist, Alice a lighting supervisor on a traditionally male film crew. Neither has felt like a man since birth.

A person in a hoodie and cap is taking a selfie in the forest.

Full-length documentary

Hacking Hate

Swedish investigative journalist My Vingren repeatedly delves into the recesses of the internet to uncover virtual crimes that could expand into the real world. She and the film Hacking Hate expose links between mainstream media and right-wing extremism.

A person is playing tennis in an indoor hall and is about to hit the ball.

Feature film

Julie Keeps Quiet

Teenage Julie, the local tennis school’s top talent and coach Jeremy’s favourite, is put on the spot when Jeremy is unexpectedly suspended for the suicide of a young woman who was a star junior player a few years earlier. Julie gradually realises the nature of her relationship with her coach and those around her urge her to speak up. But Julie keeps quiet.

A folder titled "DIGITAL VAGINA" on the computer desktop with a starry sky as the background.

Full-length documentary

My Sextortion Diary

What do you do if someone steals your computer and threatens to send intimate photos of you to all your contacts.? That happens to filmmaker Pati, who bravely decides to document her experience as a sexual blackmail victim.

A person in yellow clothing is sitting on a rock in front of a snow-capped mountain. In the background, there are tents.

Full-length documentary

The Last Expedition

Prior to her last expedition, she told her mother that if she didn’t return from the world’s third highest mountain, it would be because she had joined a nunnery in Nepal’s mountains. Polish mountaineer Wanda Rutkiewicz was last seen on 13 May 1992, heading for the summit of Mount Kanchenjunga, considered sacred by the locals. Her body was never found.

A woman is sitting on the ground and folding clothes.

Full-length documentary

Writing Hawa

Afghan documentarist Najiba Noori’s film is both an intimate portrait of her mother Hawa and a story of female emancipation in her homeland. Hawa was married at 13 to a much older man she now cares for.

A person with a tattoo on their shoulder is looking in the mirror and fixing their hair.

Full-length documentary

XiXi

The director met artist XiXi by chance in Berlin. At once it was clear that XiXi is an exceptional woman living in the present, guided by intuition, and seeking and experiencing freedom at any cost. In her art, she constantly discovers herself through dance, singing, and spontaneity.

A woman is speaking into a microphone on stage, while a group of people stands behind her.

Full-length documentary

Zurawski v Texas

Amanda Zurawski nearly died due to Texas’s abortion ban and now can’t have a child because of the procedures she underwent. In an effort to change the law, she takes her painful case to court (she was unable to carry her child to term for medical reasons).