2026 | Fiction | 13 min. | Russia
Katya has spent her whole life helping her parents tend livestock on the family farm. One day, a cow begins speaking to her in a human voice, and an unexpected bond forms between them. But when Katya learns that her father intends to slaughter the animal, she decides to help the cow escape.
Directors Statement
I have a feeling that nature, animals, and the world around us are trying to speak to us, but we have forgotten how to listen. For me, The Calf is a story about true friendship, the longing for warmth, and the search for one’s own voice. It follows a child who begins to question the familiar world of adults for the very first time. Strangely enough, on the exact day we arrived at the farm to begin filming, a calf was born there. I decided to take it as a good sign.
Director: Alyona Styrikovich
Producers: Igor Kapustin, Anna Shimonogova and Анастасия Ivanova
Studio: Bazelevs Studio
