 This is the David Feldman radio network Hanna Pollock as a Polish director nominated for an Oscar for her documentary the children of Lenin Grotsky her new documentary is Something better to come Much like the Richard Link letter film boyhood this documentary follows 11 year old Eula for 14 years As she grows up in the Svalka Europe's largest junkyard Situated 20 kilometers outside the center of Moscow Hanna Pollock joins us today from Warsaw, Poland via Skype Thank you for being with us. Thank you so much. Thank you for this invitation We met in New York on Saturday. You flew then to Berlin and now you're back in your home of Poland Something better to come is a masterpiece. You started filming the junkyard the Svalka 14 years ago first described the Svalka the junkyard. Who lives there? How do they survive? Why are they there? Well, it's actually a situation is actually a place, which is completely forbidden which From outside you can just see the fence and the garbage trunks entering the Territory and then you don't really see what happens there and this particular garbage dump We are talking about is the largest garbage dump in Europe This was the this was the mountain of trash. It existed since 1964 And then Moscow is one of the biggest city in the world And the biggest in Europe So you can imagine how big amount of trash every day is being dumped out of the city And this particular garbage dump is actually all the garbage dumps in Russia They are considered to be military area. So they are protected from the outsiders because no one really wants the kind of strangers people who are not Shouldn't be there to be on this territory where the heavy machinery is in the operation where there is toxic and different municipal and and also other garbage dropped dumped Where people they don't want people to take the garbage like the food or you know anything which can be thrown away and bringing bringing back to the market and Also, this is a very dangerous place because this huge mountain is all the time Basically that is garbage rotten. So sometimes this ground would fall and you know people can die Very easily or can get heavily injured and then of course because the gases come out of this garbage dump. So It's it's really it's really toxic to be on the territory So for for many different reasons, they are the strangers are not welcome on this territory. And yet there are people Children families living there. Why why are they there? And this is what you will see if you cross this fence if you if you somehow or other get inside of this walls of the garbage dump so from from the outside war These people the children who lives are the the odors. They simply don't exist But when you get inside you find a group of people who is seeking they basically Last resort last shelter where they can find food where they can find work For which there are paid often times they paid with vodka and of course you can imagine what kind of life they those people escape So basically most of these people are Is there the runaways from the infirm families home violence? Orphan ages we when we talking about the children they abound and they not wanted they not needed they run out from this abusive Stepfathers or abusive families. They have usually alcoholics And they have to find a place and food and some kind of shelter where they can survive And then you also get the people like adults who also lost everything in their life And they have completely nowhere to go and in this time of economic crisis when especially when the Soviet Union collapsed and many people Started to like, you know is I used to have this collective farms in the villages and they fall apart they fallen apart or After all Soviet Union collapsed many people who used to live in the previous ex Soviet Republic they had nothing to do there anymore. So it was actually dangerous. You say the these falca the junkyard Opened in 64. I think that was probably the last year Khrushchev was in charge, but that was communism Were people living in those junkyards when it was a communist state? You know that during the communism, of course Everything was really state control police can't militia controlled So the system actually of the communism in force people To work and if people didn't want to work if for some reason they didn't work They would be placed in the prisons or they would be placed in the mental institutions and Things were under strong control during this kind of years of Of the time when the communism was ruling so when When the system collapsed when when this Soviet Union collapsed suddenly the things went out of the control. So after let's say year 1992 93 It started to be big cause in the country because of course many big what I'm sorry big what big cause cause big cars Big cars Caotic it became very chaotic it became very hectic for many people the life Because of course the previous system couldn't work anymore So some people didn't get their payments for some nice many many months Sometimes they were paid the people in the villages. They would be paid with this With the grains instead of money So it became a very difficult transition time for many people people are living we see children living in the stumpster and You said at the screening in Manhattan that it became against the law in Moscow for the police to Pick up Vagrant children off the streets and put them in orphanages Yes, there was a law introduced. I believe in 1996 which actually Granted the children the right to Stay on the street. Why why why would they do that? This is a question which I would not be able to answer because it's against any common sense a Child needs protection a child needs a family a child needs, you know child is a child Child cannot live an adult life because he's not ready for it He's not ready to make decision for himself or herself. He's not able to protect. It's very vulnerable Is that does that have something to do? I mean is that a backlash to communism the way they just placed anybody in a psychiatric hospital or Anybody in a gulag was the idea that it was better for the kids to live on the streets than to be rounded up and Put in state-run institutions Is that why they did it? I wouldn't think so. I was it's just they don't care. Is that it that they just don't care? You know, no matter what it's very hard for me to comment why this kind of Strange law was introduced But the fact was that the police could only take the children out of the street in case if they committed crime Otherwise the police the militia of this time right now they have police, but it was militia They would commit crime because the child had the right to stay on the street and this law eventually was of course chain Change under Putin's time. Maybe around 2003 maybe 2002. I cannot completely remember when it was changed, but then actually the public opinion the Russian celebrities the Journalists were completely outraged with the situation when you had thousands of children Living and dying on the streets of Moscow and other cities in Russia So basically when this public opinion started to be really strong and Pressing the authorities to make changes then actually this Situation was addressed and this law eventually got changed So right now they have already worked out the systems for quite a few years when they sweeping the police the militia The now police is sweeping the children out of the streets and there were new orphanages built in Moscow and They kind of work out the systems of taking children out of the street, but there was a period of time during which There was literally thousands of children Hanging out on streets and railway stations and garbage dumps and basically subway Sleeping in different strange places on pipes on the you know in the in the passages Underground passages so those children were everywhere and you could see the scale of the problem, right? So so 14 years ago you started filming the junkyard Do you have any idea how many children were living in the junkyard 14 years ago? And do we know how many are living there now that the police can Pick up the kids First of all, I think during this time we we me and a group of volunteers who Kind of we organize together to to bring the help to these people to these children because first of all I didn't only film Children on the streets and on the garbage dump. I Organize a group of volunteers who started to help those children on the streets of Moscow and At the garbage dump so all together we were working with hundreds of homeless children with with thousands and hundreds of homeless children So we are not talking just about the garbage dump We are also talking about the streets and this is something which is portray in my other film which I completed in 2004 children of Leningrad ski but On the garbage dump I Myself I was probably working with a group of 20 30 children At this time there was more of them but of course it's a huge territory and there was many people living there So I didn't know all of them and for me moving Amongst this garbage dump the piles of trash was very complicated because It is a very heavily protected area The security is everywhere it is Forbidden to trespass this place So I could only move Here and there from time to time so I would stick to the people who I knew the children who I knew So I have to say I have to admit that even I work with probably about 20 30 children staying on this one garbage dump We've been working with many many more of those kind of children staying at the different railway station and And subways all over Moscow. We're talking with Hannah Pollock. She is the director of something better to come It's a masterpiece. It is one of the greatest documentaries I've ever seen. It reminds me of Darwin's nightmare It's a french film that I saw about eight years ago This film is pretty remarkable over a 14 year period you filmed children adults living in this junkyard Is the situation today better or worse? It's better for the children That's for sure because this allows eventual eventually got changed and Many children were forced out of the streets that were taken by the police From the streets. They were placed in orphanages in institutions So for the children, I have to say it is much better for the adults the situation continued Did you first intend to make a film when you started going there? You went there just specifically to help these kids I know you're you have a background as an actress and a producer and a director Was your intent originally to make a film or to rescue these people? I went to help. I was actually I just met the homeless children while In Moscow walking through the railway station. I was completely shocked and moved and Couldn't believe that a situation like this can take a place And I haven't been thinking about making the film in the beginning I was thinking about bringing a direct help for those Unfortunate children. What were you doing in Moscow? You're a polish and american citizen. Why were you in Moscow? I actually visited my friends and this was just after soviet union collapse. So it was back in 1993 And then I made some friendship with with the russian people with some of the people who became very close friends So I started to go back and forward It was a very interesting time in russia because of course after this sub-union collapse many journalists went to this country to see How this country will develop? How what the situation would be personally? I also was very much involved in Like philosophy and yoga and things like this So it was very interesting because during the communism Those kind of things were also forbidden So I had this friends of mine who were really asking me to talk on this subject and teach them some of those things So this way I made this like really very close connection with with russia and also I have to tell you that during the time when I Perform in the sieter. I was actually performing my first first performance on stage of professional sieter. I was performing in the russian rock opera rock opera Yunona and Davos which was very very beautiful and which we perform in an original language pretty much So I kind of got this Really strong connection with the russian culture and then of course during the time of my boss school and professional work I was also Performing in some works of Dostoevsky And it became like such a very close Connection through the culture with this country with russia. I thought it is absolutely great great culture and great people and and then actually I enter also the cinematography Institute in Moscow because Vadim Yusuf who was andrei tarkovsky a cinematographer. He was taking students And knowing that he is actually taking a Year he's gonna lead the year. He's going to be a teacher And master. I decided absolutely to Enter the enroll into this study and also I wanted to learn where learn camera skills I wanted to be become a cinematographer. I wanted to become Be be able to use the equipment. I was already photo photographing at this time So I have to say that this was another very strong connection with russia So I think they are always true culture very much with the country When did you realize yula would be the subject of the documentary? Well, I actually was very drawn to her. I think she was very outstanding character from the beginning You could really see that she is very strong very stubborn very Funny character also with a lot with a great Sense of humor. She would never basically complain And you could really see something very very bright in her eyes and in her herself, you know in in in her Something which was really making her like a really different really really like I said outstanding character but I have to tell you that also it was very difficult because Because of the fact that this garbage dump was such a forbidden territory because it was so Inaccessible because of this very tight security often time. I would completely lose yula. I could not plan It is not a film which is like you said like you mentioned boyhood That's I could plan things And film what I wanted and I could not even bring a tripod to To do the certain filming which I would like to do because obviously I could only sneak in and out And I had to have very small equipment. I could not have any crew and Why is this garbage dump Because it's all the time in the operation and it's tons and tons of garbage being brought By hundreds or thousands of truck every day. This is a mountain which is like 14 15 maybe even higher story building And then it's maybe two miles long and over a mile wide And then it's protected By security with walkie-talkie. So I just even even even I wanted to follow yula often time when the garbage moved and You know people would move with a small hut which they built next to the garbage to to be able to collect the recycling materials Close by where where all of this is in operation So I couldn't find her and then often time I had to go around and sneak in and Stay with other people stay in the small little huts to hide And I was arrested. I had my materials destroyed I had a lot of troubles. Even I was coming very irregularly Even I understood that I have to really sometimes disappear for a longer period of time So it wasn't easy to follow a certain character which you would like to follow and there was no mobile phones at this time Now the communication is very easy But at this time if somebody was gone it was gone, you know It was impossible to find yula at the garbage dump. So of course it's it's it's a lot of wishes I would like to have for this kind of production, but I can say that within Impossibility of even being on this territory not just filming and there's another aspect to it. It's a mafia run place because of course These are huge money the recycling materials which people collecting They are result in this place for pennies While in moscow they cost sometimes maybe even 30 times more 14 times more. So basically, you know if if if on every pound People earning many many times more than somewhere else So of course we can understand and people and these materials are available. They are everywhere So it means people collect tons and this is why people aren't allowed there Even hold the situation is that they have no rights. They cannot build And live in a normal kind of housing. They only live in a small shackles made of pallets The the wooden carbon boxes. So also even in the harshest winter people build this kind of small shacks directly on the ground without running water without any You know access to to to social help and to schooling and to medical assistance and The accidents are rampant. People are constantly run over by the bulldozers by trucks and buried in buried in trash so and of course Drinking illegal alcohol, which is being sold to them the children drink vodka at a very early age in your documentary I kind of found that believe it or not comforting to see them drinking the vodka Yes, you know the children try to curb their hunger. They try to curb their loneliness They try to fulfill their You know, they try to go into forgetfulness. They try to even they are very small children They are they just basically forced to live an adult life They forced to take decisions. They forced to Take care completely For themselves. They forced forget to forget about their Family about this need which every child has to have a parent to have someone who would love them So this is no wonder and yet this is not really vodka what they drinking This is a technique spirit after which people and children die So it's another aspect of this place that you know the the greed of the people who would not don't They would just disregard people's life This film is Is a work of art It you know art is supposed to be disturbing and this film Disturbs us on so many levels. I mean first. I was disturbed that People and children live that way You know, I was slightly disturbed by yule's beauty yule is the The young girl who you follow for 14 years in the movie. I believe She or her mother says that she's cursed by her beauty and That disturbed me because I worried that you as a director and and I as an audience member cared for yule more than the others because of her beauty Were you troubled by her beauty and choosing her? Did you fear that there was a problem with her beauty because What about the people who are who look like me, you know, shouldn't we follow them and care about them as well? I mean was that an issue This is the one thing but this is also another yule has been troubled by her beauty because The women at the garbage dump get often raped And yule felt this is why she asked her mother. Why did you give me birth? so beautiful And she means it that's because of this she becomes so vulnerable She becomes followed and she always feels this dangers is because of her beauty She can be raped at any time and she sees these people who are actually Talking to her this way looking even when she's quite small even when she's quite little as a girl so I think this was one thing which was really troubling yula and her mother because there was this constant threat And actually we see this in the film. That's actually yula's mother gets raped So I I I think this was the the the biggest Concern Yula had but of course absolutely I agree with you that's all these people and all these children and also sometimes It's also easier to find help for the children because people always naturally feel that for children It's easier to change something you can and and then you have the feelings But the adults or the older kids they just completely have no chances to to change their life And no one cares about them and this is why it was so important for me also to show this community of the people and And you were talking about this disturbing things at the garbage dump on different levels But I didn't want to only concentrate on this You know tragedy of of these people And the ugliness of the place and this unhuman conditions they live in I really wanted to portray the beauty of these people in contrary. I wanted to show How much of humanity is in this group of people? Absolutely that and I was troubled by that Look, I think this is your film is a masterpiece I It has to be seen by everybody and it's art Because it it's disturbing on so many levels your film Constantly told me what human beings are These are people who have absolutely nothing The film told me that we need other people that no matter what the circumstances we fall in love We take care of others We take care of cats and dogs That we need food friends and fun That even in the most desolate conditions There's a need for play That kids are the same wherever they they are and no matter what the circumstances are And I fought that I didn't want to take that away from the film. I wanted to be appalled and angry Help you get the word out on how to help these people I didn't want to watch that film and have the takeaway be It's about the human condition how we're all The same but it and that's why it's so powerful. I fought those urges Yeah, how do we help the how do we help these people? I think it's also another thing that's in fact On the contrary what sometimes we think About those kind of people and we look down upon them In this kind of Life situation, you have no time for small petty things which are not important because you are kind of Struggling to survive and and this can come every minute So you value the presence of other person you value this love and friendship And I think this is something what really amazed me that sometimes There is On the contrary of everything what you can think about this it becomes kind of an advantage to be there and it's not an advantage in a Straight sense of the word But this kind of conditions makes us to go to the point makes us to go to the what is most important in life What is most valuable in life? And I and I feel as I got this I was privileged to meet those people And I was privileged to experience what I have experienced to have these moments of love and friendship and kindness and acceptance and You know just this human beauty and this this extra extraordinary moments when people open their heart Which is sometimes very difficult to get in our regular society because we become so Isolated we become so You know there are so many material things which are And so much fear in the relationship between people and so much formality And on on those play those things they have no time You know there is no time and place at the garbage dump to to to go through this to So I think there's something which is really it became a really very surprising experience for me That's actually I am I can learn something from these people I can and then on the end I also got this Inspirational lesson from Yula about this that's in every difficulties if every circumstances of life Yeah, if you just hold it to it if you just try your best You can change absolutely everything And I think this is something which is completely completely amazing message on the end of the film and how we can help them I mean of course I don't expect as everybody goes to russia. I think we can we can take the film to different levels You know, I think I think the people would be just happy that we accept them Of course, there are homeless people everywhere where where we are And I think sometimes they just feel very very lonely I think if we just become better to other people if we just give them hand if it's it's not about the money It's not about even giving a coin on the street I think sometimes it's about human heart. It's it's about this. That's if somebody just notice me Yeah, as a person You know, I met a homeless man in The united states I made a small film for a coalition for homeless persons in fargon or dakota And I met this one man who told me the story how one woman She bought him bought him a cup of coffee and then she didn't drink this coffee and he gave it away And this woman noticed it and she came up to him and she said why didn't you drink the coffee? Why did you give it away and he said because I don't like coffee And then she took time with him and she said please I'm inviting you to the restaurant Let's how let's have go have something what you like And she broke his heart He was in tears and he told me after years and years of being homeless Lonely even drug out drunk Somebody noticed him and this this this small array Of light which touched his heart changed his life completely He this was the first step for him to get out of the homelessness And and I think you know what we really need we need another person, you know, there are always reasons Why somebody goes into these situations? And sometimes people completely cannot get out on their own because they're already in this vicious cycle And it's not only that if I give somebody one dollar or something like this, I change his life It's very difficult But sometimes something will touches somebody hard and when you give a real opportunity to someone's and people really start to fight Because what is the most difficult and what is the most amazing in uLa's story? Is that most of these people lost hope? And why why they lost hope there is no way out at all So uLa helped to her dreams and she used the opportunity whenever, you know So I think what she has done it's impossible But probably the the reason is that she did not lose the hope that she really Decided of the things which came across in her life. She decided to struggle even more to get out Right and that is something that I found disturbing about the film I was Disturbed by uLa being inspiring by uLa being strong I don't want to give the ending away But in the in the documentary you say that one out of a hundred Of the people living in the junkyard are able to escape it In some ways uLa plays into a conservative a neoliberal notion Of people picking themselves up by their bootstraps and that was disturbing to me because Most people can't pick themselves up by their own bootstrips bootstrips bootstraps Most people don't have the fire in their belly the fortitude So But you know, this is why it becomes such an inspirational story for all of us Because we all need to change at some levels and it doesn't have to be We are not talking just about homelessness here because of course, this is already An extreme extreme situation in somebody is and is the most difficult to get out absolutely But we can have money. We can be rich people and we can be on the anti-depressants We may not be able to make certain decisions in life So I think in this uLa offers us this absolutely unique and inspirational story because she basically Comes to the moment. This is why this is a growing of age growing, you know Coming of age story because I mean the most deep sense not just in a sense that she grew up physically Yes, we see it on the film. We see over 14 years since she's 10 to 24. She's now 25 So we see how she's growing up. We see how physically she matures how she changes how she's thin and and fat and Young and older and how her face changes her eyes and everything we see we see her changing But I think the most important part of the film is this internal change of somebody growing up to the moment when you really Feel I'm gonna change my life. I will take the destiny in my own hands I will lead my I will rule in my life I will go against The all circumstances against all odds and I think this moment of maturity this moment of decision This is something which this is why this this garbage dump becomes actually a background for the film And it becomes such a universal story such a metaphor for any situation we can be in life That's we need to grow up and again, and this is not a criticism This is something just something that I've struggled with since seeing the film Those are the conceits of filmmaking to to isolate one person who Through, you know against insurmountable odds overcomes Something in You know her destiny is manifested eventually through struggle The problem that I have with that And and that's you address in the film is not everybody Can do that and not everybody can be inspired and so To me it's an indictment of the system unicef Putin who's featured prominently in your movie How can the system help the people Who aren't as strong as yula? What can we do to help? The 99 who are left behind? You know, I think it's the responsibility of the government. It's the responsibility of the society. I think in Developed society we should always give hand to the more weak and I think this is something which is always important and we We can do it and we should do it. It's our duty And I think this are really the developed societies where you have this that's the more strong Take care of the weaker ones. I think this is what is really crucial For any society because you always get in every society people who cannot cope who are left behind Especially in our very competitive society rat race society It becomes tremendously difficult when people get out of this, you know, like if you don't get pay check pay check every month Suddenly you find yourself in a in a sublime and it can happen to anyone and any minute And this is why I feel that this system of course it's not only about giving away the the soup Or it's not only it has to be a system also which works out how to bring the people back to the society It's not only about, you know, I've been talking to many homeless children Including the children in the united states or people in the united states And it's not only about giving this kind of charity away. This is also a part of course It's a bridge. It's it's a possibility for these people to survive But I think the system has to offer more it has to really offer a possibility of entry back into society And what I want what I really tried to show in the film is that these people have absolutely the potential They have the heart. They are human. They what they fear the most is the rejection It's the fact that in the eyes of the society they became not human anymore. This is the biggest fear It's not about the losing material things It's about losing the humanity and this is the biggest fear of the people and I think As a society It's the same in russia, but it's the same everywhere We should really reach out and help to build system which are Helping these people to come back to the normality. It's to create Skills work, of course, if somebody is addicted It also has has have to have a program of or has to have a program of Getting out of the addiction. So it's a slow process. Sometimes sometimes it is very It takes a lot of work and effort to do it to place people back in the society But on the end the message is it is possible and it's the same for russia russia has The the system of of of the ng organizations are not very developed and with the current politic It's becoming even more difficult absolutely because sometimes the cities and take the the duties of the Basically government run centers, you know, because it's what I mean the the NGO non-government Organizations are I would assume not allowed on the ground because of Putin Not enough. I mean the the system doesn't support it and this is a problem. Of course, obviously it's a problem I mean, I don't want to criticize russia and the russian government Because I I don't feel that this is my position even and I deeply love this country And I'm hoping and I know that there are also people in this system. I don't want to demonize them also I think they have their own interests. They have their own way of looking on on their Way of dealing with the things and I'm not gonna teach them But at the same time, I feel that when people are allowed when the the citizens are allowed They will do much more and I know that this this movement is also growing because the The country is changing from this system Which used to be when everything was state run and I know that there is many more Charities and many more governmental Non-governmental organizations which are being created. So I think it's in all of this It's a it's a new step for russia and I'm hoping there are some social health centers which have been open there is still you know a lot of money and And effort put into this orphanages But it's always also looking for the solutions how to how to do it better You know how to give people more if you could if you could recommend a group an NGO that americans who are listening to this Or we have people listening all over the world. Who do you recommend? What organization do you recommend that we donate to? I think people have to decide for themselves and research this. It's very difficult for me to Who do you who do you know? I I don't want to you don't have to answer this question Because yes, well, why I personally we have created our own small charity organization Which is called active child aid.org and people can donate it directly to yula We is writing for yula and this is the small organization which is working with the Children it's working in different countries not only in russia It's been for many years supporting Children and people in russia, but now it has programs in ukraine and in poland in some Orphanages and in philippines. It is not a big charity. It's a small charity, but it's very actively Helping but also I worked with many different other organizations who Doing different programs. I cooperated with unicef aqua I cooperated with International women club and organization, which is existing in moscow of the wives of the businessmen and and politicians or You know the women who who want to be active there. So I have cooperated with with different organizations, but I think you know it's Yes, I It's it's about everybody has to I just want people to get inspired by this field right now. We are looking into also possibility of Running programs in the united states To raise the awareness. So we are collecting some money through the Kickstarter campaign to be able to bring this film to inspire audiences We just I just spoke with an organization from new jersey Which wants to organize screenings with the attempt of Stopping the child homelessness and it is a child homelessness which is going in many many countries in the world And even the united states has a person percentage of the children which are touched By by homelessness So I think So how do how do people see Something better to come your documentary. How do they see it and your kickstarter campaign? How do they find that and how do they kickstarter campaign? Of course, it's a kickstarter and then something better to come This is going to be only few more days because it's almost Ending but we are still collecting funds people can go to the website of hanapolackfilms.com or they can go to To something better to come on facebook and connect and if anybody wants to donate to this kind of campaign That we will be promoting the subject and we will be discussing the issue. This is something what we really strongly want to do Also, it's not only about donating because if people want to connect with the right people who we want to build an audience We want people to discuss is there is another issue which we really want to discuss which is a emotional homelessness of the children Parents are working too much and don't communicate clearly with their children that they love them because child Doesn't understand that the parent is not at home because he's working so hard for him or her to have life But they take it as being abundant. They take it that the parent never has the time for me Let's be clear here about the kickstarter campaign If you don't mind if you if you go to the kickstarter campaign You'd be donating money to get the word out on this film Because knowledge is power Is that correct? Is that in other words? We need people to give money to your kickstarter campaign for something better to come so that It can be publicized and people can see the plight of these people in the In mosca, right? This is what we are trying to do. We're trying to rent Places where we can screen the the film. Of course, we are looking for people who would be interested to screen it also So we are looking for the people who would like to organize screenings and in theaters in churches in schools in Whatever organizations they work in and or or or Or volunteer for so basically what we are trying to do We are trying to first of all build an awareness Of course, we are also at the same time the film is eligible for oscar so we are also trying to let the film critics and the American audience in general not even people who are interested in the social angle and the child homelessness issue But but because I think it's such an inspiring film on a general level On a universal level talking about this how you can overcome any difficulties in your life So I just want people to just see the film and be inspired. Yes. Yes. So let's let's let's do this Let's make sure because we have a lot of people listening a lot of people in america canada and europe are listening right now Give us a website. There's the kickstarter campaign for something better to come Everybody has to see this movie this movie will be nominated for an oscar Your last movie was nominated for an oscar. This one is going to be nominated for an oscar We want the critics to see it. We want people to see it if you run a church a temple a mosque If you run a community center a library Any place that people gather if you have a home with A large screen television You need to have a screening party Of this film go to kickstarter type in something better to come directed by hannah pollock Give money find out through kickstarter how you can get a copy of this film and screen it And then have a discussion group and take action Are there any other websites hannah pollock where people can go to find out about the movie? Absolutely. There is first of all my own website, which is hannah pollock dot com So people can contact me through this website. There is a hannah pollock films website also through which we also have a small Kind of our own way of donating money to the screenings and allowing us to know how people so this is an ongoing Situation because of course obviously we are only starting this promotional activities And with the funds which we can raise we can reach more people and we can allow the screenings and travels to be in all those places and to advocate on the On the subject of homelessness to advocate on the behalf of these children And we can inspire people in different ways to take the take the action and also see this because this is also a piece of art I always see that this is not only about the issue. It's also me as a filmmaker It's also a responsibility to make the best films possible So people even if they are not interested in the social issue They can still get on a journey for one or one and a half hour and see the best possible film So this is also something which people just can watch and can be touched by and can discuss after With their friends and and they can just if any type of inspiration comes I I am very happy with it if anybody gets inspired in any way to do something even take her Better of their own children as one woman. She told me that after seeing your film I promise you I will be a better mother or another woman wrote me an email saying that's halfway watching your film I wanted to run and hug my own children and I felt this is a best critique. This is wonderful So this is an achievement for me. It doesn't have to you know, people don't have to always donate the money But of course because we do want to bring this film to the audiences. We really want to do the screenings We want to organize And we we have to have some funds to be able to rent some theaters and the screening rooms and be able to travel to To meet with the audience directly. So, of course, obviously we are also doing this Campaign to raise some funds for it. And this is the beginning of what we are doing And also we set up this goal of the kickstarter to raise a little bit of money We are totally open and of course, this is an ongoing thing So it doesn't mean that one the campaign whilst while the campaign is finished We are completely finished with all the activities because this is the beginning for us. So this is something of the goal which we Really hoping to reach and besides this despite the fact of oscar's we of course We all know how difficult it is and how big of a luck it is or a game it is We also know that I think the the piece of art is also beyond all the Our arts in the world And if if somebody makes a beautiful film, I think this film will have its life on its own for many many years And this is something what I am interested with this film and with the previous film with children of leningradski I still have televisions to screen the film right now another television got the film for screening it for broadcasting And I am still receiving letters from people who have seen Who are watching right now children of leningradski So I know that even this film was finished completed 10 years ago and it has such a long life And it was actually done in a cooperation with american hbo a wonderful cooperation So I think The same way i'm hoping that this new project will travel and will inspire people for years Yeah, I'm sure we'll see it on hbo eventually and i'm pretty certain we're going to see you with the oscar's How do you spell hana pollock for the uh for our listeners? h-a-n-n-a p-o-l-a-k dot com Great hana pollock is a polish director nominated for an oscar. She is the director of something better to come Please go see it and then take action. She's been joining us from warsaw poland And I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to be with us. Thank you. Thank you david Thank you everybody This is the david feldman radio net You