Mustafa and his teenage offspring make a dangerous journey to Crimea, a Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia, to bury the body of his first-born son. The trip to the war zone is not only to fulfil familial duty but also to strengthen relationships that have become very fragile in recent years. Nariman Aliyev’s feature debut is framed in strong static images and lets the authentic performances speak.

Nariman Aliev

He earned his degree in directing in 2014 in Kyiv, and over the course of his studies, he made several short films about his native Crimea, which competed at prestigious film festivals. Homeward, his feature debut, premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival and won the Ukrainian Film Academy’s Golden Dzyga award for Best Director and Best Actor.