Dir. Marija Ponomarova | Netherlands, Ukraine | 2024
A team of ageing Ukrainian cheerleaders hold on to their friendship as each navigates the trauma of war in her own way
92 min.
Documentary
5, 18 november ONLINE (LITHUANIA, LATVIA, ESTONIA, POLAND) from 00:00 to 23:59
Nice Ladies
Dir. Marija Ponomarova | Netherlands, Ukraine | 2024
A team of ageing Ukrainian cheerleaders hold on to their friendship as each navigates the trauma of war in her own way
5, 18 november ONLINE (LITHUANIA, LATVIA, ESTONIA, POLAND) from 00:00 to 23:59
92 min.
Documentary
With the escalation of Russia’s war on Ukraine, the seemingly unbreakable bond of a vibrant cheerleading team of 50+ year old women called "Nice Ladies" is challenged. They face impossible choices between motherland and grandmotherhood, between staying and leaving. Core team member Sveta flees with her family to the Netherlands, while captain Valia and coach Nadia stay behind in the repeatedly bombed city of Kharkiv. Torn apart, the ladies try to keep contact to hold on to their sanity amid terror, heartbreak, and the plague of Sveta's survivor’s guilt. Will the team be able to reunite, save their sisterhood, and find a common language through the emerging scars of war?
About the film
Original language: Ukrainian, Russian, English
Subtitles: Belarusian | English
With the escalation of Russia’s war on Ukraine, the seemingly unbreakable bond of a vibrant cheerleading team of 50+ year old women called "Nice Ladies" is challenged. They face impossible choices between motherland and grandmotherhood, between staying and leaving. Core team member Sveta flees with her family to the Netherlands, while captain Valia and coach Nadia stay behind in the repeatedly bombed city of Kharkiv. Torn apart, the ladies try to keep contact to hold on to their sanity amid terror, heartbreak, and the plague of Sveta's survivor’s guilt. Will the team be able to reunite, save their sisterhood, and find a common language through the emerging scars of war?