Asian Vision

White Road

Белой дороги!

Followed by Q&A w/ Director

Synopsis:

Aldar, an acclaimed rapper in the city, has not returned to his native Kalmykia in a decade. When his mother vanishes in the steppe of southern Russia, he travels to search for her. Aided by Gerel, a woman endowed with a rare gift, he finds her, and mother and son embark on the journey they never undertook while she was alive. Yet the steppe will not release them. The film draws on the Kalmyk epic of Geser, in which the fallen hero lies abandoned on the battlefield until his three sisters descend from the sky in the form of birds to restore him to life. Reimagining this myth in a contemporary setting, White Road explores the fragility of a living tradition among the people of the Great Steppe, and the hope of its rebirth.

Schedule

Nov 14, 2026 | 02:45 PM

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Director

Ella Manzheeva

Ella Manzheeva is a director, scriptwriter, producer, and the first Kalmyk filmmaker. After graduating from the Higher Courses of Scriptwriters and Directors in Moscow, she gained international recognition with her debut feature, The Gulls (2015), which premiered at the Berlinale, won the Best Debut Award at Kinotavr, and screened globally. Her subsequent projects include the documentary Geshe Wangyal. With Blessing of the Three Jewels (2022) and her second feature White Road, which earned selections at the Berlinale Residency, Cannes Cinéfondation L'Atelier, and When East Meets West. Beyond her filmography—which also encompasses early shorts like Prazdnik and Uninvited. Steppe—Manzheeva founded the National Heritage Foundation "Bumba" in 2014, actively developing her region's film industry through regional cinemas, educational film schools, and community projects.