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Something Better to Come

SECOND PRIZE OF THE JURY
Hanna Polak
98' / 2014 / Denmark
Web: somethingbettertocomethemovie.com
Russian
English and spanish subtitled

Audience vote 9.01

Something Better to Come is an extraordinary, more than thirteen-year personal journey about one of the bleakest urban places in the world. 11-year-old Yula lives in one of the most desolated places on Earth: the Svalka, the biggest junkyard in Europe, 20 km outside the center of Moscow. Surrounded by barbed wire and guards, the area is closely monitored to keep intruders out. But in the junkyard lives a group of people in a small, lawless society. These people make up Yula’s closest family; here she lives her life, and from here her future springs. Yula grows up in this forbidden land, and yet she laughs, falls in love, and puts on makeup to be alluring. She dares to dream of getting out one day.

Main Festivals & Awards

IDFA, Amsterdam – Special Jury Award in Feature-Length Competition / ArtDoc, Moscow – Won / Trieste Film Festival, Trieste – The Alpe Adria Cinema Award for Best Documentary / ZagrebDox, Croatia – Special Mention
/ FIFDH (International Film & Forum on Human Rights) – Youth Jury Award
One World Festival / DocPoint, Helsinki / Tempo Documentary Festival / True/False Festival / Thessaloniki Festival

Director's Biography

Hanna Polak, an Oscar-nominated director, graduated from the Cinematography Division of the Cinematography Institute of the Russian Federation. She worked on various movies as producer, director, cinematographer and still photographer. In 2002, she was awarded Best Producer of Documentary and Short Fiction Movies in Poland for Railway Station Ballad. In 2004 she completed work on The Children of Leningradsky in collaboration with HBO. The movie received an Oscar nomination (2005), an IDA Award, two Emmy nominations, and the Gracie Allen Award among others. Hanna has been advocating the case of homeless children all over the world. She founded and collaborated with Active Child Aid foundation and collaborates with UNICEF.