At Thessaloniki Docs in Progress, director Tanya Vikhreva and producer Maria Gavrilova took the stage to present Tower, Sun and the Seven of Wands, a creative political documentary which centres on three very distinct women living in annexed Crimea. Produced by the Georgian outfit Marx Film, the project, now in the editing stage, is being crafted in collaboration with writer Aleksander Rodionov.
The 90-minute documentary is budgeted at €102,000, with €76,400 still to be secured. The team is currently seeking co-producers, partners, funds, and pre-sales ahead of its estimated delivery in January next year.
Tower, Sun and the Seven of Wands centres on three women living in annexed Crimea, a region deeply affected by the ongoing war. As the conflict looms over their daily lives, they face crucial decisions about their futures.
The film introduces three protagonists: Lena, a dog groomer; Irina, a former factory worker and a cherished babushka (grandmother in Russian); and Tanya, a professional witch. They must choose whether to remain in their homeland or flee, with their decisions influenced by a mix of Tarot readings, religious beliefs and state propaganda. In detail, the documentary explores how personal fates are shaped in times of war and how deep-seated beliefs influence life-altering choices.
In her director’s notes, Vikhreva reflects on why she is focusing on this subject: “The initial motivation for making this documentary was the war. The film observes how people in Crimea react to and reflect on the ongoing events. As reason and rationality disappear, they search for certainty in irrational places. The story is personal, as I’m filming in my homeland, Crimea, during the Russian aggression against Ukraine. For me, it’s important to attempt to understand the people of Crimea and the diversity of their insights, mistakes, and propaganda-caused traumas.”
Vikhreva, born in 1989 in Simferopol, previously directed the short documentary Asma (2021). She graduated from the Moscow Film School in 2015 with a degree in Film Editing and has worked extensively as an editor alongside award-winning directors such as Filip Remunda, Aleksander Rostorguev, Dmitry Falkovich and Nastya Karkia. Tower, Sun and the Seven of Wands marks her debut as doc feature maker.
Gavrilova shared her perspective on the film’s significance: “I’ve known Tanya for many years already; we worked together a lot. With this film, the main location is the Republic of Crimea. Russia’s full-scale war started in 2022, but the first step was the annexation of Crimea in 2014. It’s still a crucial territory for the ongoing war. Access has now been restricted to independent filmmakers like Tanya.”
The deeply personal nature of the documentary is evident, as Tanya herself is one of the lead characters, alongside her grandmother Irina. Before presenting the first clips, she explained, “My grandmother is unable to change her mind. She’s sure that Russia is on the right side. But I decided to film her and our discussions openly. It was a way for me to deal with and analyse this ‘new’ reality. Now, she hasn’t changed politically, but at least she has realised there’s a tragedy ongoing.”
The previewed clips introduced the three main characters, with particular emphasis on the role and influence of Vladimir Putin, Russia 1 and the state propaganda machine on Irina, who appears to have lost any form of independent thinking.
Gavrilova expressed her passion for intimate storytelling: “I personally love personal documentaries. I’m really interested as a viewer to watch such films, and that’s why I decided to help Tanya with her debut feature. This intimacy helps us understand bigger situations better. Because we watch ordinary people, not those appearing on the news and in mass media. We see how complicated things really are. I think people can say much more, and their stories carry greater weight.”
With its mix of political urgency, personal storytelling, and an unfiltered look at life in annexed Crimea, Tower, Sun and the Seven of Wands promises to be a compelling and thought-provoking documentary.
