River Dreams

Forum Special 2026

A “Heimatfilm” with a difference: Kristina Mikhailova asks women and girls to imagine themselves as a river. Village girls, young female city dwellers, LGBT and gender positivity activists, a headmistress singing the praises of gender-conformist education, women in prison, students with dreams of emigrating, as well as recurring conversations of toxic masculinity, sexual assault and, finally, the trial of a former economics minister widely reported on in Kazakhstan who brutally murdered his wife, Saltanat Nukenova. But on the banks of the unassuming river Aksay, the “river girls” also talk of their desires, dreams and utopias. A brave act, since the interviews take place against the backdrop of a gender-conservativism that is often hard to imagine. The thus emerging panorama of female life plans, including the opportunities to realise these in Kazakhstan, combines into poetry through the guiding metaphor of the river. With radical tenderness and almost sociological rigour, feminist demos and the art of active listening give rise to political scenes marked by sisterhood and solidarity.

Trailer/Film Excerpt

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by Kristina Mikhailova (Director, Screenplay)
with Alexandra Cherezova, Dana Ageleuova, Mira Ungarova, Aiya Kuzenbayeva, Juliya Jenis, Kristina Mikhailova, Dariya Temirhan, Tamara Yelantseva, Yakha Alieva, Akzel Beisembay, Inzhu Abeu, Gulnaz Moldakhmet, Sandugash Manapova Kazakhstan / Switzerland / United Kingdom 2026 Kazakh, Russian, Chechen 98' Colour World premiere | Debut film | Documentary form

With

Alexandra Cherezova
Dana Ageleuova
Mira Ungarova
Aiya Kuzenbayeva
Juliya Jenis
Kristina Mikhailova
Dariya Temirhan
Tamara Yelantseva
Yakha Alieva
Akzel Beisembay
Inzhu Abeu
Gulnaz Moldakhmet
Sandugash Manapova

Crew

Director	Kristina Mikhailova
Screenplay	Kristina Mikhailova
Cinematography	Amir Zarubekov
Editing	Arya Rothe, Kristina Mikhailova
Sound Design	Alexandr Khimich
Producer	Dana Sabitova
Co-Producers	Vadim Jendreyko, Nadira Murray

Produced by

24 FPS

Almaty, Kazakhstan

Co-produced by

Mira Film Basel

Basel, Switzerland

Sylph Productions

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

World Sales

Cinephil

Tel Aviv, Israel

Photos

Kristina Mikhailova

Kristina Mikhailova is a director, producer, and artist from Kazakhstan. Her debut feature River Dreams premiers at the Berlinale Forum. Her artistic practice extends beyond film; she has participated in a collective exhibition at the Venice Biennale. As an activist, Kristina founded ‘Women make docs’, a grassroots initiative supporting female documentary filmmakers in Central Asia.

Filmography

2021 Algiz; short film 2026 River Dreams

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2026