Smoke Sauna Sisterhood

In the darkness of a smoke sauna, women share their deepest secrets and intimate experiences, shed shame trapped in their bodies, and regain their strength through a sense of communion. No story is too shameful, no burden is too heavy to carry when you share it with your brotherhood...

The smoke sauna tradition of Vana-Võromaa (southern Estonian region) known as "savvusanna kombõ" is on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of humanity, it consists of connecting to family and friends tocleanse the body and soul within a place of peace and contemplation. Conflicts are left out.

In filmmaker Anna Hints' 'Smoke Sauna Sisterhood', the story of smoke saunas as a place of birth inspired them to focus on the women who "gather in the protective darkness of the smoke sauna, share their deepest secrets and wash away the shame that has accumulated on their bodies.

Directed by Anna Hints. The first documentary by an Estonian director to compete and win at Sundance. It is a deeply moving, intimate and impressive approach to themes of trauma, healing and community. Filmed almost as if it were a Vermeer or Rembrandt painting, the camera is never intrusive, never mechanical. Rather, the images move as the smoke (lingering, floating) briefly hangs before disappearing and reappearing. With an authentic and authoritative voice, born from her own heritage, filmmaker Anna Hints has created a transformative experience of the human being within a female body, showing women "as they are" with great emotional truthfulness and deep empathy.