Losing Sonia shows how a seemingly rigid monastery can be a place full of life, beauty and artistic expression. Sonia, a young nun, paints icons in the night and then sleeps until noon. She has a dog, cats, exotic birds, and a body that rebelled against the strict rigour of the monks. Trying to understand her and the meaning of her life choices, we come to Sonia’s family, marked with the history of Russia. At the same time, the film is a journey inside the Orthodox church, showing that the deep spirituality of the nation is being reborn. Losing Sonia tells the story of an unusual woman who, within the walls of the monastery, is trying to rebuild the values that Russian society has lost under successive political regimes.
‘I remember well when I saw Sonia for the first time. It was while I was searching for characters for my documentary about Russian women. I found myself in a monastery in Ivanovo. By chance we were brought to the workshop of “the artists” - nuns who paint icons. Although there were many women, I saw only one. She was sitting in front of an easel and licking her lips intently, while painting an icon.  A black Rottweiler was lying next to her and two cats were sleeping on her lap. She was constantly looking through the window and smiling to herself.’ – recalls Radka Franczak.
Losing Sonia had its international premiere at Visions du Reel in Switzerland. The film was also shown in Young Cinema Competition during DOK Leipzig Film Festival and many other film festivals in Poland.
Kinopolska is the most important Polish Film Festival in France. This year's main theme of the programme is "Women in the cinema". The audience in Paris will watch contemporary features and documentaries, as well as Polish cinema classics like Wojciech Jerzy Has Jak byc kochana (How to be loved, 1963).
 
Losing Sonia screenings:
1PM, Friday, November 23^rd
4PM, Saturday, November 24^th
 
All screenings will take place at Cinema Le Balzac