On the Edge of the Snow
Mullo was born in a remote Tajik mountain village far from civilization, in the isolated highlands of Yaghnob. This tiny Central Asian nation had been living there for centuries, since the times of Alexander the Great until recently, saving intact their ancient language and culture, having no schools, hospitals, shops, money or even tap water.
In the 1970s the Soviet authorities deported the entire tribe of the Yaghnobi to the hot deserted lowlands to cultivate cotton. Mullo was 9 years old then.
Today Mullo still lives in the lowlands, in the decayed city of Zafarobod, works as a mullah, a teacher of Arabic and a baker simultaneously and has a big Muslim family.
He is obsessed with the dream of returning to the lost paradise of his childhood, despite the conflict and hardships it will create in his family.
We are following his preparations for the trip to Yaghnob (where there are already a few families who returned after the collapse of the Soviet Union); the strains it imposes on his family (his young son is unwilling to follow his father's “sacred mission” and Mullo's brother is skeptical about all the Yagnobi “sweet memories”); and eventually, the long and difficult return to his homeland and hardships Mullo will encounter after he settles down and rebuilds the house of his ancestors.
In the 1970s the Soviet authorities deported the entire tribe of the Yaghnobi to the hot deserted lowlands to cultivate cotton. Mullo was 9 years old then.
Today Mullo still lives in the lowlands, in the decayed city of Zafarobod, works as a mullah, a teacher of Arabic and a baker simultaneously and has a big Muslim family.
He is obsessed with the dream of returning to the lost paradise of his childhood, despite the conflict and hardships it will create in his family.
We are following his preparations for the trip to Yaghnob (where there are already a few families who returned after the collapse of the Soviet Union); the strains it imposes on his family (his young son is unwilling to follow his father's “sacred mission” and Mullo's brother is skeptical about all the Yagnobi “sweet memories”); and eventually, the long and difficult return to his homeland and hardships Mullo will encounter after he settles down and rebuilds the house of his ancestors.
Odessa
Florin Iepan embarks on a process to reveal the largest mass execution perpetrated by an ally of Nazi Germany in Odessa (now Ukraine) which should lead to a public debate about Romania’s fascist past and conclude with an official reaction on behalf of the Romanian people. At first hand, this seems to be an impossible mission.
In a story full of spectacular turn of events, with the director in front of the camera, we discover his weaknesses, his doubts, the self-irony, the ups and downs of his campaign. Unorthodox measures are employed in order to put the topic on the public agenda.
During four years of conferences, news coverage, TV programmes and internet commentaries, Florin Iepan managed to attract hostility and hatred from thousands of Romanians and from public figures known for their anti-Semitic and nationalist opinions. At the same time he is encouraged by other fellow Romanians who understand that if we don’t act now, when the country faces an economic crisis and a weak democracy, history can repeat itself.
In a story full of spectacular turn of events, with the director in front of the camera, we discover his weaknesses, his doubts, the self-irony, the ups and downs of his campaign. Unorthodox measures are employed in order to put the topic on the public agenda.
During four years of conferences, news coverage, TV programmes and internet commentaries, Florin Iepan managed to attract hostility and hatred from thousands of Romanians and from public figures known for their anti-Semitic and nationalist opinions. At the same time he is encouraged by other fellow Romanians who understand that if we don’t act now, when the country faces an economic crisis and a weak democracy, history can repeat itself.