Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (Savvusanna sõsarad)
Directed by Anna Hints

TICKETS

$12 | $8 Speed members

“Hypnotic. Intimate. Blisteringly honest.”—Harper’s Bazaar

The first documentary by an Estonian director to compete and win at Sundance, Smoke Sauna Sisterhood is a deeply moving, intimate and breathtaking approach to issues of trauma, healing, and community. Filmed almost as if a Vermeer or Rembrandt painting, the camera is never intrusive, never mechanical; rather, the images move as the smoke–lingering, wafting, suspended briefly before disappearing and reappearing. With an authentic voice and authority born of their own heritage, filmmaker Anna Hints has created a transformative experience of being human within a female body, showing women “as they are” with great emotional veracity and deep empathy.

In this moving documentary, the history of the smoke saunas as a place of giving birth inspired them to focus on women who come together in the protective darkness of the smoke sauna, share their deepest secrets, and wash off the shame that has accumulated in their bodies. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Directing Award for World Cinema-Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. 2023, Estonia/France/Iceland, DCP, in Estonian, Seto, and Võro with English subtitles, 89 minutes. Recommended for 16+.