River Dreams
Black screen.
[FLOWING WATER]
The logo for the 76th Berlinale (the silhouette of a bear beside cursive text “Berlinale” and text “76. Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin | Berlinale Panorama) appears in front of a black background.
Close-up on the face of a person with closed eyes, wearing lipstick and bright pink eyeshadow.
[SOUND OF FLOWING WATER ENDS]
A person with long hair wearing a tan jacket sits on a chair outside, surrounded by green trees and mist.
SPEAKER #1 (in subtitled Kazakh): Why is the film called River Dreams? Precisely “dreams”?
Aerial view of a flooded area, with the tops of trees and buildings visible above the muddy water.
[BIRD CHIRPS]
[STRING MUSIC BEGINS]
Overhead shot of a flooded landscape with two vehicles stuck and trailing oil into the water, creating a shimmering, rainbow effect.
SPEAKER #2 (in subtitled Kazakh voiceover): I remember there was a big flood along the river.
[FLOWING WATER]
A disembodied person runs a hand through a small stream surrounded by green leaves and clovers.
Four people sit inside a room, viewed through a glass window which also reflects the river and trees outside.
SPEAKER #3 (in subtitled Kazakh voiceover): I guess I would be...
Speaker #3, who has a buzz cut and a single dangly earring, sits in an armchair outside during sunset, beside a tree.
SPEAKER #3 (in subtitled Kazakh): ...a twilight river.
Clouds of green and pink steam mingle over a rushing river.
SPEAKER #4 (in subtitled Kazakh voiceover): It’s hard for me to talk about the world because I haven’t seen it.
Speaker #4, who has long curly hair and is wearing a red shirt and black jacket, stands outside in front of a metal fence, surrounded by green grass.
SPEAKER #4 (in subtitled Kazakh): I can only talk about Kazakhstan.
Power lines in the distance are built over green fields dotted with red flowers. Snow-capped mountains are visible in the background.
[BIRD NOISE]
Clothing hanging on a clothesline wave in the wind. The wide sky is bright blue and dotted with a few clouds. Two smokestacks are visible in the background.
SPEAKER #5 (in subtitled Kazakh voiceover): I still perceive some things as a child.
Speaker #5, who has long, dark hair and wire frame glasses hooked onto their top, sits outside in front of a large tree and points at the sky.
SPEAKER #5 (in subtitled Kazakh): I could be like: “Look, a cloud!” It is beautiful, by the way.
A person with red hair and green eyes stands in a crowd and looks up. The surrounding people are holding protest signs.
CROWD: Freedom! Sisterhood! Solidarity!
[MUSIC ENDS]
[WIND RUSHING]
Overhead shot of a red-tinged valley. There is a small pool of water reflecting light down in the valley.
[BIRD SOUNDS]
A person with long hair, wearing a pale blue turtleneck, sits in a chair outside surrounded by swampy grassland.
SPEAKER #6 (in subtitled Kazakh): I had a dream about shooting.
[WIND RUSHING]
Wind blows dust off the side of a rocky mountain.
[MECHANICAL WHIRRING]
Four people in construction helmets and vests stand in a mountainous area beside a rectangular object, as wires with hooks attached wave overhead. A plume of blue smoke goes up beside them.
The ceiling of a yurt, with a circle at the center.
[BIRDS CHIRP]
The cloth covering the skylight is removed, revealing trees and light.
A person wearing a head scarf sits in the middle of a yurt at a table, setting out plates. The outside is visible from an opening at the base.
SPEAKER #7 (in subtitled Kazakh voiceover): Well, I don’t know a single girl here...
A person with long hair, wearing jeans, shot from the back as they look out onto the water. The person skips a rock.
SPEAKER #7 (in subtitled Kazakh voiceover): ...who has never faced something similar.
[FIRE CRACKLES]
[MUSIC BEGINS]
A fire in a shallow pit surrounded by green grass and trees gets suddenly larger, then simmers down.
A person playfully wrestles a blanket from the teeth of a dog.
[DOG GROWLING]
An abstract, swirling pattern.
SPEAKER #8 (in subtitled Kazakh voiceover): I remember a very strange dream.
A large group of people stand on a dirt path between a slope and a house.
SPEAKER #9 (in subtitled Kazakh): Oh, then all the girls in Almaty will be mine.
Close-up on an unrecognizable, burnt item surrounded by fire.
Wide view of a small fire beside tall trees and a cloud of blue to the left.
SPEAKER #8 (in subtitled Kazakh voiceover): Not a dream, but rather a nightmare.
A person with long hair, wearing a mesh sweater, stands in front of linens drying on a clothesline.
SPEAKER #10 (in subtitled Kazakh): Probably eliminate all men.
[LAUGHING]
Speaker #6 sits in a chair, surrounded by grassy swampland, and looks down at the floor looking tearful and sighs.
In a structure with a partially open roof, a person dances on a pole, gripping the pole with their legs and holding a canister in one hand, spraying a cloud of blue into the air.
Close-up on Speaker #1 whose eyes are closed at first but slowly open.
[MUSIC ENDS]
[FLOWING WATER]
The text “River Dreams” appears in red block letters over black. Water can be seen through the opaque red bold letters.
A credits screen appears. Large text reads “River Dreams.” The rest reads: Director Kristina Mikhailova; Producers Dana Sabitova; Cinematographer Amir Zarubekov, Editors Arya Rothe, Kristina Mikhailova; Sound Alexandr Khmich; Co-Producers Wadim Jendreyko, Nadira Murray.
A film produced by 24 FPS (Kazakhstan), in coproduction with Mira Film Basel (Switzerland) and Sylph Productions (UK).
Production logos for 24 FPS, Mirafilm, Sylph Productions, and Cinephil appear below.
[WATER SOUNDS STOP]
Saturday, May 2
3:30 pm | Kaufmann Theater
North American Premiere
Director in Attendance: Kristina Mikhailova
2026 | 99 min | Kazakhstan, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Winner of the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury in Berlinale 2026’s Forum section, River Dreams asks young women living in Kazakhstan to imagine themselves as a river, delving into the emotional landscapes of their inner worlds. Director Kristina Mikhailova gives space for conversations on toxic masculinity and domestic abuse against a backdrop of deep-rooted gender conservatism. An ode to sisterhood, healing, and resistance, the film offers a vivid portrait that is both culturally specific and universal.
Check out the full Margaret Mead Film Festival schedule or get a ticket to see River Dreams.