Smoke sauna sisterhood (Savvusanna sõsarad)

The Vana-Võromaa (region in South Estonia) smoke sauna tradition known as “savvusanna kombõ” and listed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, is one of connecting family and friends to cleanse body and soul inside a place of peace and contemplation. Conflicts are left outside. In filmmaker Anna Hints’ Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, 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. In the darkness of smoke sauna, women share their innermost secrets and intimate experiences. Through a sense of communion, women wash off the shame trapped in their bodies and regain their strength. 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.

2023, 89 min, Estonia / France / Iceland, with English and Slovenian subtitles

Director: Anna Hints; Producer: Marianne Ostrat; Cinematographer: Ants Tammik; Editors: Hendrik Mägar, Tushar Prakash, Sound Recordist: Tanel Kadalipp; Composer: Edvard Egilsson; Etter. Production: Alexandra Film; Coproduction: Kepler 22 productions& Ursus Parvus with the support of Estonian Film Institute, Centre National Du Cinema et de l'image animee, Icelandic film centre with the support of Sundance Institute Documentary Program, The Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Tartu Film Fund. Distribution: Cinemania; Organisation: City of Women, Kinodvor; Supported by: Municipality of Ljubljana, Ministry of Education.