United States 2024, 100 min, Russian, Hebrew & English subtitles

Natalia Zubkova lived a fairly ordinary life. Her husband regularly traveled for work, leaving her to manage the house and children. The Siberian town where she lives is right next to one of the world’s largest coal mines. The implications of this, known (and smelled) by all, are writ large in the region’s morbidity and mortality rates. Then, one morning, the residents wake up to a terrifying sight: black snow. With no independent authorities or media to turn to (as they are all mouthpieces for the regime), Natalia decides to post a video online. In one moment, her life changes completely. “If you are watching this video, then my strength has run out, and we’re all in deep shit.” This is the opening line of a gripping piece of investigative journalism that covers an environmental crisis, uncovers rampant corruption, and captures the rise of an inspiring everyday heroine.

Previous Festivals: CPH:DOX

Official Website

Screening Schedule:
  • Fri 24.05 | 10:00 | Cinematheque 4
  • Mon 27.05 | 13:00 | Cinematheque 4
  • Fri 31.05 | 10:00 | Cinematheque 2 | Filmmaker Present | After the screening, a Q&A session with the filmmaker will be moderated by Ksenya Svetlova.

Alina Simone (Director/DP/Producer) is a Ukrainian-born journalist and filmmaker whose work has
appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Guardian Long Read, California Sunday, Slate, and
NPR, among many others. Her articles have been featured on best-of lists in The Atlantic, NPR and Rolling
Stone, and have been optioned for film by major studios. She is the author of an essay collection and a
novel, both published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and has taught writing at Yale University. Simone is the
recipient of the Andrew Berends Film Fellowship, an NYSCA/NYFA Film Fellowship and the Mountainfilm
Emerging Filmmaker Fellowship. Black Snow is her first film.

Production: Kirstine Barfod, Alina Simone
Editing: Aleks Gezentsvey
Cinematography: Alina Simone
Sound Design: Morten Green
Music: Katya Mihailova