Nika is one of the youngest daughters in a nomadic family from Yamal (the Samoyed Peninsula) in Siberia. Soon, the village administration will come to take Nika to the boarding school, where she will be separated from her family and home for a long time. We follow Nika during her last days at home and all that it entails. She meets a nomadic teacher who has been tasked with preparing her for the major transition. But given Nika’s young age, one wonders how she will cope and if there might be an alternative solution. This touching film from present-day Yamal highlights children’s rights in a society where there are no grey areas.

Mia Rogersdotter Gran