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Come Back Free (2016)

Original title: Tule tagasi vabana

Documentary Duration 51:00

A poetic documentary about life in a war torn Chechen village, with the cemetery as its symbolic focal point. The village lives and breathes in unison.
The Chechen gravediggers are always busy. Death is an everyday visitor. It does not even matter that yet another war has ended. The people live stuck in a circle of vengeance. They also gather into circles to chant prayers to God.
Only the cows are grazing calmly next to the cemetery and the children are happily going about their business.
The Chechens’ parting words to one another are, “May you come back free!”

Director: Ksenia Ohhapkina

Keywords: driving a car | shotgun fire | digging a grave | graves | haircut | home village | village residents | village life | children at play | cows | View all »

Photos and Galleries (5)

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Videos (1)

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Main Data

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Production Firm(s) Vesilind
Film Category Documentary
Duration 51:00

First releases

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  • on filmfestival: 18.10.2016, IDFA - International Documentary Festival, Netherlands

Festivals, awards, nominations

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  • Prize, IDFA - International Documentary Festival (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 2016, Special Jury Award for Mid-Length Documentary - for intuitive and multilayered cinematography
  • Prize, Annual Award of AV Division of Estonian Cultural Endowment (Estonia), 2016, Producer of the Year: Riho Västrik - for dedicated work in documentaries "Come Back Free", "A Fragile World", "Bonus Track"
  • Participation, ARTDOCFEST Russian Open Documentary Film Festival (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Russia; Riga, Latvia), 2016

Partners and Sponsors

  • Kultuuriministeerium
  • EFI
  • Eesti Kultuurkapital
  • ERR
  • Rahvusarhiiv
  • BFM
  • Kinoliit
  • Eesti Filmiajakirjanike ühing
  • Tallinnfilm