Natalia Mikhaylova

Imagine you've never held a weapon in your hands but are forced into admitting that you were involved in a terrorist attack. This is precisely what happened to a young Chechen named Zelim. One early morning, he was arrested in his mother's house and held for five days at the police station for a crime he never committed. Despite being subjected to the most brutal forms of torture, he maintained his innocence, much to the cops' dismay. Zelim denied any wrongdoing until he was near death, and finally he can tell his story to director Natalia Mikhaylova. She accompanies him as he wanders around Oslo recalling these painful memories.

Laughter and Grief by the White Sea is a 1987 Soviet traditionally animated feature film directed by Leonid Nosyrev made at the Soyuzmultfilm studio. The film is a celebration of the culture of the Russian Pomors who live around the White Sea.