30/04/2024 - Mariia Ponomarova's documentary centres on a team of ageing Ukrainian cheerleaders holding on to their friendship as each navigates the trauma of war in her own way

With the escalation of Russia’s war on Ukraine, the seemingly unbreakable bond of a vibrant cheerleading team of 50-plus-year-old women called "Nice Ladies" is put to the test. They face impossible choices between motherland and grandmotherhood, between staying and leaving. Core team member Sveta flees with her family to the Netherlands, while captain Valia and coach Nadia stay behind in the repeatedly bombed city of Kharkiv. Torn apart, the ladies try to keep in contact to hold on to their sanity amid terror, heartbreak, and the plague of Sveta's survivor’s guilt. Will the team be able to reunite, save their sisterhood, and find a common language through the emerging scars of war?

This is the synopsis of Mariia Ponomarova's documentary Nice Ladies [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], which is having its international premiere at the Hot Docs – Canadian International Documentary Festival (25 April-5 May), after having its world premiere at the Movies that Matter Festival in The Hague, Netherlands.

Mariia Ponomarova (1991, Kyiv) is a Ukrainian film director, screenwriter and creative producer based in the Netherlands. Her short fiction and documentary films were screened at several festivals such as DOK Leipzig, Sheffield DocFest and the Sarajevo Film Festival. Her first fiction feature project, The Right Answer, took part in Holland Film Meeting's Boost NL programme and IFFR's CineMart. Nice Ladies, her first documentary feature, was presented, among others, at the DOK Leipzig Co-Pro Market, Meet Market and received a B2Bdoc Award at the Producers Meet Producers event. While working on this film, Mariia took part in IDFAcademy and DokIncubator workshop.

Nice Ladies was produced by Laura Bouwmeester and Rogier Kramer for Labyrint Film (Netherlands), and co-produced by Alina Gorlova and Maksym Nakonechnyi for Tabor Production (Ukraine). Paris-based CAT&Docs is managing its world sales.

Check our exclusive trailer and poster below: