Within the sheltered confines of a traditional smoke sauna deep in an Estonian forest, groups of women gather to cleanse themselves in both body and soul. On and off through the seasons, this intimate locale becomes a space for female togetherness, giving the women room not just to indulge in traditional sauna-based rituals (included on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list), but also to share intensely personal hurts and longings, joys and pains. In Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, a hotbox becomes a place of healing. A deserving winner of the directing award in Sundance’s World Cinema Documentary category, filmmaker Anna Hints boldly combines an intimate non-fiction approach with sensuous lyrical expressionism, balancing the disarming frankness of her subjects’ conversations with ravishing, lushly photographed textures of fire, wood, steam, smoke, and flesh. Less an act of individual portraiture than a kind of collective diary, or even an exorcism of experience, the film is a moving tribute to female resilience and community.
Estonia/France/Iceland
2023
Spectrum
In Estonian, Seto and Võro with English subtitles
Discussions of Sexual Violence, Sexual Discrimination
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits
Producer
Marianne Ostrat
Screenwriter
Anna Hints
Cinematography
Ants Tammik
Editor
Hendrik Mägar, Tushar Prakash, Qutaiba Barhamji, Martin Männik, Anna Hints
Director
Anna Hints
Anna Hints is an Estonian film director with a background in contemporary art and experimental folk music. Anna has deep roots in the distinct culture of South Estonia. As an active dumpster diver, Anna’s short documentary For Tomorrow Paradise Arrives initiated public discussion and growth of new grassroot movements against food waste in Estonia. Anna’s first feature length film Smoke Sauna Sisterhood premiered at the Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Documentary Competition in January 2023 and received the Directing Award.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World
Sasha Waters' documentary takes us through the life of America's best-selling late twentieth century poet, a private woman who shared her innermost thoughts and made them indispensable.
Saving Private Ryan
Steven Spielberg's gripping war movie was hailed as an instant classic in 1998, and he won his second Academy Award in five years for Best Director. Matt Damon takes the title role, Tom Hanks is charged with bringing him home from the front.
Palimpsest: The Story of a Name
Drawing on home movies and diaries from the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s, Canadian filmmaker Mary Stephen (Eric Rohmer's editor for many years) investigates the origins of her surname. After all, she was born in Hong Kong to Chinese parents. Or were they... ?
Buffalo '66
Vincent Gallo's directorial debut is an eccentric, provocative comedy which laces a poignant love story with both a sombre, washed-out naturalism and surreal musical vignettes. This one is something different...
Run Lola Run
In the hyper intense world of pre-millennial Berlin, Lola has just 20 minutes to come up with a 100,000 Deutchmarks or her boyfriend cops it. He's asking the right woman: Lola won't stop til she's saved the day... It's Speed, in the multiverse...