Screenings
Visions du Réel 2024
World Premiere
International Competition
Millennium Docs Against Gravity 2024
Polish Premiere
International Competition
Camden International Film Festival 2024
North American Premiere - 13th September
Harrell Competition
London Film Festival 2024
Grierson Documentary Award
UK Premiere - SOLD OUT
13th October, 15:20 Curzon Soho Cinema
16th October, 12:30 BFI Southbank, NFT2
Folkestone Documentary Festival 2024
19th October, 6.00pm, Silver Screen
Cologne Film Festival 2024
19th October, 16:45 Urh Filmpalast Kino 6
21st October, 19:50 Urh Filmpalast Kino 2
Cambridge Film Festival 2024
26th October, 13:20 Arts Picturehouse
29th October, 16:15 Arts Picturehouse
Central Scotland Documentary Festival
Macrobert Arts Centre, University of Sterling
2nd November, 7.30pm
Festival dei Popoli, Florence, 2024
First Prize, International competition
5th November, 16:15 Cinema La Compagnia
CINECITY, Brighton 2024
9th November, 16:00 Duke of Yorks
Cork International Film Festival 2024
14th November, 17:00 The Arc Cinema
Noordelijk Film Festival, Netherlands, 2024
14th November, 11:15 Slieker Film Roze Zaal
15th November, 19:00 Slieker Film Roze Zaal
17th November, 17:00 Pathé Zaal 2
Gijon International Film Festival, Spain, 2024
International competition
17th November, 17:00 Escuela del Comercio
CamerImage, Toruń, Poland 2024
Documentary Features Competition
21st November, 12:00 Horzyca Theatre
Budapest International Documentary Festival, Hungary 2025
1st February, 17:45 CC Mammut II
2nd February 13:45 CC Mammut II
Docpoint, Helsinki Documentary Film Festival, Finland 2025
5th February, 16:30 Kinopalatsi 5
8th Febraury, 21:15 Kinopalatsi 7
9th February, 15:00 Maxim 1
Antenna Documentary Film Festival, Sydney, Australia 2025
9th February, 16:00 Dendy Newtown #3
15th February 16:30, Dendy Newtown #3
Borderlines Film Festival, UK 2025
28th February, 11:15 The Courtyard, Hereford
13th March, 15:00 The Courtyard, Hereford
12th March, 16:00 Malvern Theatres
15th March, 16:30 Malvern Theatres
Awards & Recognition
SYNOPSIS
In a hidden Orthodox monastery in Belarus, MOTHER VERA weaves the inner world of an unorthodox young nun with the community that saved her life. After 20 years as a monastic, Vera faces deep inner conflict. Now, she must confront her past and trust her instincts to find the liberation she desires.
PRESS
'strikes a unique chord in documentary cinema's landscape'
Overly Honest Reviews
4.5 stars Amber Wilson
'absorbing and majestically shot'
The Film Verdict
‘transfixingly beautiful film’
Screen Daily
TEAM
Producer
Laura Shacham
Laura is a creative producer specialising in artist moving image and documentary film. She seeks out projects where the alchemy of voice, place and care melds, with an emphasis on those led and imagined by womxn. Laura is a Sheffield Doc/Fest Future Producer 2016 and a Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program Grantee 2020.
Director
Cécile Embleton
Cécile is a French-British documentary director. Her directorial debut, “The Watchmaker”, screened at Hot Docs, Dok Leipzig and SXSW and won the Grand Jury Prize at Boston International Film Festival. Mother Vera is her first documentary feature film which is supported by Sundance, winner of Locarno First Look 2023 and second place winner at the Hotdocs Forum 2021.
Director
Alys Tomlinson
Alys is a photographer based in London, working mostly in black and white film. Her work has been included in over twenty international exhibitions and she was named Sony World Photographer of the Year 2018 which included a portrait of Vera. Her long-term project ‘Ex-Voto’ was published by GOST Books in 2019. ‘Mother Vera’ is her directorial debut.
Editor
Romain Beck
Romain has over a decade’s worth of experience as a documentary editor. He was part of the edit team of “Much ado about dying” (which won best director at IDFA 2022). His editing work has been recognised at Jihlava Festival 2018, Dok Leipzig, Hot Docs and South by SXSW.
