Smoke Sauna Sisterhood

Award Winning films from Cornwall Film Festival

Smoke Sauna Sisterhood | Dir Anna Hints | 2023 | 1h 29 min | Estonia / France / Iceland | Documentary / World Cinema | Estonian with English Subtitles | 15 | Captioned Screening

Tucked away in a lush green forest in southern Estonia, a group of women gather in the safe darkness of a smoke sauna to share their innermost thoughts and secrets. Enveloped by a warm, dense heat, they bare all to expel fears and shame trapped in their bodies and regain their strength.   Director Anna Hints captures this intimate ritual in a stunningly visceral and absorbing way. Her camera engages with the tight space by cradling bodies and faces revealed in chiaroscuro. An exchange of voices shares what their bodies have experienced and withstood. The testimonies are deeply personal while also feeling universally recognizable. Hints further immerses us into the…