Vera Pirogova (Germany)

Bio

Vera Pirogova is a Berlin-based Russian film director and scriptwriter with a Master’s in Film from Tallinn University. Her last short film Sour Milk (Emapiim) (2023) received awards at the Tallinn Black Nights and Mumbai International Film Festivals. She is currently developing her first feature film, set in Narva, which explores the lives and desires of women in their 50s and 60s. She works across fiction, documentary, and experimental films, focusing on themes such as women’s health issues, generational relationships, identity, and family against the backdrop of historical catastrophes. In addition to filmmaking, Vera teaches film and photography to displaced Ukrainian teenagers as part of the KiNO initiative.

Project

Vera plans to create a documentary film/performance that examines the myths surrounding women’s destinies and the superstitions tied to women’s health, rooted in post-Soviet beliefs. She intends to invite several Russian-speaking women aged 45–60 to participate in a studio space equipped with some costumes and props. In this setting, she will guide the participants in collaboratively creating a fictional character. This character embodies the belief that healing women’s illnesses is connected to femininity and mindset. Through a series of questions about the fictional character’s beliefs and Vera’s own experiences with women’s health, she aims to encourage the participants to share their personal journeys with illness. Through this process, Vera also aims to gather inspiring ideas and non-professional actors to enrich her feature film, which is currently in development.