Electing Ms Santa is a 2025 debut feature-length documentary film co-written and directed by Raisa Razmerita. A co-production between Moldova, and Romania, it follows a 42-year-old woman from a small Moldovan village who decides, against her family's wishes, to run for mayor in a country where presidential elections are generally won on misogynistic discourse.
The film had its world premiere In Doc@PÖFF International Competition at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival on 13 November 2025.
It held its Regional Premiere at the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival on 17 August 2026, screening in the Competition Programme – Documentary Film 2026, and competed for the Heart of Sarajevo award.
Summary
Elena is 42 and lives in a small, faraway village in Moldova. During the day, she works like any other villager, taking care of pigs, chickens, and a cow, while her strict mother, Ana, keeps an eye on everything she does. But Elena has another side to her life. She is the person who brings the whole village together: she gives donated goods to lonely older people, runs fun activities for children, and every year dresses up as Santa Claus to thank young volunteers. Even with all her chores, Elena wants to grow and learn. She takes online classes and listens to lessons while she milks the cow. She is ambitious and wants to change how things are done in her village, so she makes a brave decision: she chooses to contest the mayor elections.
Cast Elena Cernei
Production
In December 2019, it was selected at the When East Meets West 2020 project, where projects competed for the Film Center Serbia Development Award, the EAVE European Producers Workshop scholarship, the Cannes Producers Network Prize, and the Flow Postproduction Award of €15,000 in post-production services. In January 2020, the project won EAVE Producers Workshop scholarship. In January 2025, the project won Film Center Montenegro Award at the 2025 edition of When East Meets West, at Trieste, a port city in Italy.
Release
Electing Ms Santa had its world premiere In Doc@PÖFF International Competition at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival on 13 November 2025, and the next day on 14 November 2025, it was screened at the Verzió International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival in Doc Future Competition. Subsequently it competed in Trieste Film Festival in Documentary competition in January 2026, and had its Italian Premiere.
In March 2026, it was screened in Artdocfest Open competition at the Artdocfest.
It had its Regional Premiere at the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival, where it competes for Heart of Sarajevo award in the Competition Programme – Documentary Film 2026 on 17 August 2026.
Reception
Writing for Cineuropa, Marko Stojiljković at 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival, finds that Raisa Răzmeriță’s "observational approach" is effective but heavily dependent on the cinematography of Ion Gnatiuc, whose technical execution is inconsistent, particularly in the poorly illuminated night sequences. Mircea Olteanu's editing nevertheless keeps the film coherent and accessible, while its soundtrack of local pop-folk music complements the setting. Stojiljković concludes that the film is neither innovative in its subject matter nor "technically groundbreaking", but praises it for its evident sincerity and earnestness.
Accolades
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient Result Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 22 November 2025 Jury Special PrizeElecting Ms Santa Trieste Film Festival 24 January 2026 CEI (Central European Initiative) Award Sarajevo Film Festival 21 August 2026 Heart of Sarajevo Award for Best Documentary Film
References
External links
Official trailer on YouTube