Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (, ) is a 2023 documentary film written and directed by Anna Hints in her feature directorial debut. It is about a group of women who gather in a smoke sauna where they clean the dirt from their ashamed and aching bodies. It was selected as the Estonian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards. It is a co-production between Estonia, France and Iceland.
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 22 January 2023, where it competed in the World Cinema Documentary Competition and won the Directing Award at the World Cinema Documentary Competition.
Release Festivals Smoke Sauna Sisterhood had its world premiere on 22 January 2023, at the Sundance Film Festival, then it was screened on 17 March of that year at the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival, on 31 March at the Stockfish Film Festival, on 23 April at the San Francisco International Film Festival, on 13 May at the Millennium Docs Against Gravity, on 18 May at the Barcelona Documentary Film Festival, on 19 May at the Seattle International Film Festival, on 24 June at the Filmfest München, on 31 July at the New Zealand International Film Festival, on 4 August at the Melbourne International Film Festival, on 29 September in the Documentary Competition at the Zurich Film Festival, and on the 7th of October at the CinEast Film Festival.
Theatrical It was commercially released on 23 March 2023, in Estonian theaters. It was released at cinemas in the UK and Ireland from 13 October 2023.
Reception
Critical reception Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 82 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Accolades YearAward / FestivalCategoryRecipientResultRef.2023Sundance Film FestivalWorld Cinema Grand Jury Prize: DocumentarySmoke Sauna SisterhoodWorld Cinema Documentary - Directing AwardAnna HintsCopenhagen International Documentary Film FestivalNext:Wave AwardSmoke Sauna SisterhoodHong Kong International Film FestivalDocumentary Competition - Firebird AwardSan Francisco International Film FestivalBest Documentary FeatureFilmfest MünchenCineRebels Award2023 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film FestivalOutstanding Female-Led Feature Film"Cinéfest reveals 2023 award winners". Sudbury.com, 28 September 2023.19th Zurich Film FestivalDocumentary Competition27th Tallinn Black Nights Film FestivalBest Baltic FilmEuropean Film AwardsBest Documentary CinEastSpecial MentionIDA Documentary AwardsBest CinematographyAnts TammikBest WritingAnna HintsEurimages Audentia AwardBeldocsAnna HintsMarko Stojiljković, "Thiiird and A Field Guide to Coastal Fortifications come out on top at the 16th Beldocs". Cineuropa, 17 May 2023.202417th Cinema Eye HonorsOutstanding CinematographyAnts TammikOutstanding Sound DesignHuldar Freyr Arnarson and Edvard EgilssonOutstanding DebutSmoke Sauna SisterhoodAudience Choice Prize35th PGA AwardsOutstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion PicturesMarianne OstratCinema for Peace awardsDove Award for Women's EmpowermentAnna Hints
See also List of submissions to the 96th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film List of Estonian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
References
External links