Born in Saint Petersburg, Russia in 1982, she studied literature at the city’s university and then worked as an investigative journalist. In 2010, she moved to Germany and took up a film directing degree at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin. Her short film "Come and Play" won the Discovery Award in the 2013 Semaine de la Critique at Cannes. Since March 2022, she has been working as a human rights defender of people suffering from political persecution.

Source: 73. Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (Catalogue)