Something Better to Come

Shot over a period of 14 years, Something Better to Come follows the life of girl who lives in Europe's biggest rubbish dump.
Anna Tokareva
Published on May 14, 2015

Overview

Moscow is dubbed one of the world's most expensive cities, it's a place where the extremes of Russia meet. On one hand, there is luxury, wealth, and gaudy glamour, on the other hand corruption, poverty and the gloom of Khrushchev-era apartment blocks. Nowhere is the disparity between rich and poor more apparent than on the Svalka, a giant rubbish dump on the outskirts of Moscow. Europe's largest rubbish dump is home to an entire community of people. The Oscar-nominated Polish director Hanna Polak has spend a considerable amount of time getting to know them, earning their trust and filming the life of one of the girls, Yula, over 14 years.

With Polak's help, we enter a world otherwise almost unimaginable to us, a place that that looks like the setting of a post-apocalyptic film, rather than a home to families and children. We learn about Yula's aspirations for a life beyond the Svalka, about true resilience, dignity and resourcefulness. Something Better to Come serves as a reminder of the poverty and hardship that exists and hidden just out of sight.

Hanna Polak has devoted much of her life to helping children who don't have a family, a home or love in their lives. Her heartbreaking 2004 documentary Children of Leningradsky earned her a host of awards and led her to found Active Child Aid.

Information

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