Protiv Vetra

As the desert advances, it is not only the steppes of the Russian southern Caucasus that are disappearing, but also the language, culture, and identity of the Nogai people, descendants of the ancient Mongol dynasty of the Golden Horde. Once lush and green, the steppe is becoming more barren with each passing year, as the relentless sand carried by the wind takes over. One woman, Gulfira, refuses to give up and convinces her people to plant juzgun, a shrub with long roots capable of resisting sandstorms and slowing the desert’s progression. With bundles of shrubs on her back, Gulfira leads the men who follow and help her, walking miles through the freezing, sand-laden wind in an existential fight. In telling this story, the director paints a delicate portrait of a community living in the uncertainty of the present, at the mercy of climate change and of a war that forces young men to depart, often leaving women in the role of leaders.