Sneak Peak at SOMETHING BETTER TO COME documentary with Director Hanna Polak

Guest Bio

SOMETHING BETTER TO COME directed by Oscar nominee and Emmy nominee (Children of the Leningradsky) Hanna Polak and produced by Sigrid Dyekjær, is a film about human dignity and resilience. It is a vibrant story, which instills a unique perspective in the viewer – illustrated by a quote from Maxim Gorky’s play The Lower Depths: ‘Everyone, my friend, lives for something better to come.’ 11-year-old Yula lives in one of the most desolate places on Earth: the Svalka, the biggest junkyard in Europe, 20 km outside the center of Moscow. Surrounded by barbed wire and guards, the area is closely monitored to keep intruders out. But in the junkyard lives a group of people in a small, lawless society. These people make up Yula’s closest family; here she lives her life, and from here her future springs.

Hanna Polak, an Oscar-nominated director, graduated from the Cinematography Division of the Cinematography Institute of the Russian Federation. She worked on various movies as producer, director, cinematographer and still photographer. In 2002, she was awarded Best Producer of Documentary and Short Fiction Movies in Poland for Railway Station Ballad. In 2004 she completed work on The Children of Leningradsky in collaboration with HBO. The movie received an Oscar nomination (2005), an IDA Award, two Emmy nominations, and the Gracie Allen Award among others. Hanna has been advocating the case of homeless children all over the world. She founded and collaborated with Active Child Aid foundation and collaborates with UNICEF.