Not so far away places

“Not So Far Away Places” is a Russian euphemism for prison. For years, a lawyer and human rights activist entered SIZO pre-trial detention centres—overcrowded, freezing spaces where the accused await judgment, cut off from family and exposed to violence and systemic abuse.
A member of Memorial, she was officially employed as Lead Analyst at the Federal Penitentiary Service. In practice, she used this position to gather evidence, navigate a rigid bureaucracy and help prisoners hold on to dignity within a system designed to break them.
Filming discreetly with a chest camera, she documented hunger strikes, solitary confinement, denial of legal access, religious repression, and suspicious beatings. Complaints were dangerous; silence was enforced through fear. Each night, she backed up her footage, building an archive she hoped might one day serve as evidence—if change ever became possible.
Combining exclusive first-person images from inside Russian prisons with observational scenes and interviews, the film offers a rare, direct view of a system built on control and intimidation.