Aita

In a small village in the Republic of Sakha, a teenage girl named Aita comes home from an evening where the young people had gathered and tries to take her own life; she is carried to hospital in a critical state. The note found in her pocket carries the nickname of the village’s Russian policeman and the hatred she felt for him. Sirditov, the inspector who takes the case, has two things to do at once: work out what the note really says, and do it before the village carries out its own justice. The film shows how quickly a crowd makes up its mind and watches an accusation settle onto an ethnic line within hours. Shot in Yakut, the production had its distribution licence revoked in Russia while becoming the highest grossing film ever made in its own republic. Stepan Burnashev’s eighty six minute film was completed in 2023.