WE LIVE HERE

On a desolate former nuclear test site, three generations confront the haunting legacy of the past as they fight for survival and hope in a world on the brink of destruction.

ZHANANA KURMASHEVA  

Kazakh director with a focus on documentary filmmaking. She holds a BA and MA in Film Directing from the Kazakh National Academy of Arts.
Zhanana has participated in a number of international workshops and training programs, such as the East-West Talent Lab at the goEast – Festival of Central and Eastern European Film in 2022. Her debut feature-length documentary, We Live Here (2024), has been supported by the Berlinale Doc Toolbox Program, Eurasia Doc (Doc Monde) Script Development Residency, GZDOC (Top 10 Documentary Projects), and Tokyo Docs, where it won Best Pitch.
She is the laureate of the Kulaguer-2011 award for her student documentary I Am 20 Years Old!. Her short documentary Zhenya (2013) was showcased at numerous international film festivals in Moscow, New York, Yerevan, Sevastopol, and Almaty, receiving acclaim for its nuanced storytelling. Her work reflects a profound engagement with social issues and cultural identity, establishing her as a rising voice in Kazakh documentary cinema.

• CPH:DOX in Copenhagen, Denmark
• DOKfest in Munich, Germany
• Hot Docs, Canada
• Uranium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Main Competition 2025