“As the lead Croatian producers of the film directed by Italian-Russian director Zhanna Agalakova, Tatjana Božić and I are very proud to have brought this film dealing with such an important international topic onto the world stage. The Croatian Audiovisual Centre has certainly contributed to this by supporting the project from development, through production, all the way to promotion. We are especially pleased to be making a contribution to the international recognition of Croatian film with the film’s world premiere at the prestigious Sheffield International Documentary Festival. There are virtually no substantial festivals without a Croatian title appearing in one of their competitions – so maybe it really is time to announce a new wave of Croatian filmmaking”, said Croatian co-producer Magdalena Petrović on the occasion.

A Little Gray Wolf Will Come is a personal documentary that follows a well-known Russian journalist from a pro-Kremlin channel, Zhanna Agalakova, as she takes her rebellious, Western-oriented daughter on a journey through Putin’s Russia on the eve of the war in Ukraine.

Zhanna Agalakova directed the film and co-wrote the script with Tatjana Božić and Giorgio Savona. Božić was also involved on the project as a creative producer and artistic advisor, while Giorgio Savona was engaged as a cinematographer and co-producer. The film’s producer is Magdalena Petrović for LEWA Productions. The film is co-produced by Raymond van der Kaaij, with co-production partners Revolver Amsterdam from the Netherlands and Giorgio Savona Productions from France. The film was edited by Alex Goekjian, Zhanna Agalakova and Katarina Türler, while the music score was composed by Marijn Slager.

“The fact that my first film has been selected for one of the world’s top five documentary film festivals is one of the most exciting things that has ever happened to me. Especially since it is my very personal and intimate story. I am grateful to everyone who helped me on this journey and happy to have the opportunity to meet the audience face to face. I hope that one day my film will reach the Russian people and help open a discussion about lies and freedom and the responsibility we all share”, said the film’s director and lead protagonist, Zhana Agalakova.

The film has been financially supported by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, the Netherlands Film Fund and the Dutch Democracy and Media Foundation.

The world premiere of A Little Gray Wolf Will Come was held on 21 June, as part of the future talents programme titled International First Feature Competition.

The Sheffield DocFest International Documentary Festival annually receives more than 25,000 visitors and 3,500 film industry professionals, making it one of the leading venues for documentary form in the world.

Cover photo: A Little Gray Wolf Will Come film crew in Sheffield (producer Magdalena Petrović, editor Alexander Goekjian, cinematographer Giorgio Savona, director Zhana Agalakova)