My SDI

We are delighted to invite you to a conversation between SDI Founder Noe Mendelle and acclaimed documentary filmmaker and Sundance Directing Award winner, Anna Hints, the director of Smoke Sauna Sisterhood. 

By RSVPing to this event, you will receive the Zoom details to join us on the day.

Attendees will receive a private link to watch the film after the In Conversation event. 

Anna Hints is an Estonian film director with a background in contemporary art and experimental folk music. Having deep roots in the distinct culture of South Estonia, Anna’s second home is in India. As an active dumpster diver, Anna’s short documentary For Tomorrow Paradise Arrives (2021) initiated public discussion and growth of a new grassroots movements against food waste in Estonia. Anna’s first feature documentary Smoke Sauna Sisterhood premiered at Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Documentary Competition program in January 2023 with Anna winning the Directing Award. After that the film won McBaine Feature Documentary Award at San Francisco International Film Festival Golden Gate Awards, Eurimages Audentia Award for the Best Female Director, two more awards and got nominated for LUX - The European Audience Film Award by European Parliament and European Film Academy.

Anna’s upcoming short fiction Weight of Light (2024) depicts the life of female rag pickers in Delhi.

Anna is a singer in the electronic-folk trio EETER that was nominated in the Best Film Music category at the Estonian Film and TV Awards 2018. EETER collaborated with Icelandic composer Edvard Egilsson for the original score of Smoke Sauna Sisterhood.

Smoke Sauna Sisterhood | 89 min | Estonia, France, Iceland

Women share their innermost secrets and intimate experiences inside an Estonian smoke sauna. Cleansing their bodies and baring their souls, they embrace the healing power of sisterhood. Anna Hints’ Sundance-winning documentary celebrates the centuries-old smoke sauna tradition, recognised on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

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Our In Conversation series hosted by Noe Mendelle feature inspiring filmmakers delving into the journey of their career and the process of crafting a film - from developing an idea, working with participants, funding, editing and distribution. These free, interactive virtual events are an incredible opportunity to speak to acclaimed filmmakers and learn key tools and insights for working in the industry. 

For your calendars - upcoming In Conversation events: 

- 14th December @ 2 PM GMT / Madeleine Glavin for Beyond Utopia