Raisa Razmerita
Electing Miss Santa
In a remote Moldovan village, 42-year-old ELENA defies social norms and family duties, embarking on a transformative journey to gain control of her life and pursue her dreams, even if it means leaving everything behind.
SYNOPSIS
In a remote Moldovan village, 42-year-old ELENA leads a dual life. By day, she's a poor farmer, tending to pigs, poultry, and a cow alongside her controlling 72-year-old mother, Ana. But Elena's true passion lies in her role as the village's beating heart – distributing donations to lonely elders, engaging children in environmental activities, and donning a Santa Claus costume each year to reward young volunteers. Despite her demanding responsibilities, Elena yearns for personal growth. She enrolls in online courses, listening to lectures while milking the cow, finding both excitement and escape in these learning opportunities. Driven by ambition and a desire to challenge the status quo, Elena makes a bold move: she decides to run for mayor. In this journey of self-discovery, filmed over seven years, she evolves from simply trying to do what she wants to actively opposing what she feels obligated to do. Ultimately, Elena realizes her true calling lies not in political office, but in her role as the village's nurturing soul. The film concludes with Elena embracing her identity as the community's beloved Santa Claus, bringing joy to the village she holds dear. ELECTING MISS SANTA is a poignant exploration of identity, the clash between generations, and the search for meaning beyond traditional boundaries of place and gender. It's a testament to the power of perseverance and the importance of finding one's authentic place in the world.
DIRECTOR
Raisa Razmerita
PRODUCER
Ion Gnatiuc
CO-PRODUCERS
Anamaria Antoci
Anda Ionescu
EDITORS
Alexandru Popescu
Raisa Razmerita
PRODUCTION COMPANY
HaiDOC Productions
CO-PRODUCTION COMPANY
Tangaj Production
COUNTRIES
Republic of Moldova
Romania
LENGTH
89 min
Raisa Razmerita
After several years of working both in the media and in the non-governmental sector in the field of children's rights in the Republic of Moldova, Raisa Razmerita discovered that the documentary field allows her to get to know the characters “with the heart”, because “eyes do not see the essential”, as the Fox says in The Little Prince (her favorite book). Raisa embraced the development of her first feature-length documentary film project almost simultaneously with the process of making sourdough bread. These processes ran in parallel in the last years and helped her develop the necessary patience and the ability to capture the small details that often make the difference. A graduate of BDC Discoveries – Balkan Documentary Center and a Malik Bendjelloul fellow, Raisa is following the courses of a master’s degree at the State University of Moldova in Philosophy and Cultural Management. Besides collaborating as a film director with HaiDOC Productions, she is also editing and collaborating with a few Moldavian NGOs that are implementing projects on topics like child sexual abuse, women's involvement in politics, and the employment of people with mental disabilities. In this segment, Raisa is directing and editing video content with a strong documentary approach, but also helping them to implement documentary films in their area of expertise as tools to raise awareness and generate impact through films.
Through this film I follow how ELENA, a woman from my home village, after living 40 years according to the family and society “code”, struggles to change her life. When the home environment controlled by her mother becomes a form of captivity for Elena, she tries to break away from the 'old' world represented by her mother's beliefs, learning to articulate her own desires and aspirations. Elena grew up in an environment where she was told she was not enough. Due to a childhood accident that left her with a severe form of scoliosis, she faced a lot of social bullying. Filmed over 7 years, the film captures Elena’s evolution from trying to do what she wants to opposing what she must. ELECTING MISS SANTA is a story about the search for identity, about choices and how those choices guide our flow through life. Through this film, I am framing a woman who grew up in Moldova in a village but has many talents beyond just raising pigs, a woman's search for meaning beyond the home borders. I believe that other human beings who are stuck in similar circumstances won’t give up and will eventually act.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Ion Gnatiuc
After graduating with a master’s degree in Documentary Filmmaking from Babeș-Bolyai University, Faculty of Theatre and Television, Cluj-Napoca (Romania), I fell in love with the director of this film and returned to my homeland – the Republic of Moldova, a place that looked completely different after nine years of living abroad. The unexplored potential inspired me to develop film projects with all the knowledge gained abroad. In parallel with building a production platform at HaiDOC Productions (where film production goes together with establishing a business company that connects the European healthy practices from the film industry with the intricacies of Moldavian bureaucracy), I’m involved in our community of filmmakers through ALTFilm, an NGO that works as a constructive and critical voice in the process of advocating for changes in the film industry landscape in Moldova.
When Raisa insisted on introducing me to ELENA, the woman from her village who for more than 15 years has taken on the role of Santa Claus of the village and involved the children in volunteer activities, I could not imagine half of the energy and tireless spirit of this woman. Over time, we discovered that beyond the attractive exterior, she is a vulnerable woman who struggles not only to bring fresh perspectives and overturn local perceptions but also to confront her own fears and the limits set by her family. What at first glance seems like a lesson in how two different generations can coexist under one roof gradually becomes a battle between the daughter (Elena) and her aging mother. On one side, we have Elena’s attempts to break away from the “old” while pursuing her own dreams and defining her priorities, and on the other side, we have her 70-year-old mother, who is incapable of accepting her frailty and is unable to denounce the predetermined role that women have in the cultural and social system from which she comes and which Elena now deeply questions. The project was developed in the framework of the B2B Doc Network, BDC Discoveries (Best Pitch Award), and ESoDoc (Best Pitch Award). Director Raisa Razmeriță was awarded the Malik Bendjelloul Grant for the development of the project. At the When East Meets West Co-Production Forum, producer Ion Gnatiuc received the EAVE Producers Workshop Scholarship.
PRODUCER’S STATEMENT
Production company profile
HAIDOC PRODUCTIONS is a team of Moldovan storytellers who not only create and dream but live through film. Our approach is to delve into unique and impactful social themes through ethnographic and anthropological exploration, dedicating substantial time, attention, and involvement to allow each story to unfold naturally. We focus mainly on documentary film production, working on creating films that approach social topics and reflect on modern Moldavian society. Through these films, we intend to understand and give voice to the marginalized and oppressed groups of our society and raise attention to neglected or taboo subjects. We believe that one day our native country will be known not only for poverty, high rates of migration, lack of infrastructure, the cold conflict from Transnistria that has existed for 30 years, and most recently – the danger of a war expanding here, but also for the local talent that sooner or later is going to knock at the doors of the international film industry. Until that happens, we struggle to jump through the windows of the industry and carry with us the other pioneers who believe in the power of documentary film to generate change in fields where other tools have failed.
Where are we at?
PRODUCTION BUDGET
229.474 €
NEEDED FOR COMPLETION
49.650€
TERRITORIES AVAILABLE
ROW (except Republic of Moldova and Romania)
EXPECTED RELEASE
Beginning of 2025
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