Don't talk to her
Directed by Arseniy Gonchukov
Russia · 2026 · 15 min 15 sec · Thriller
Submitted to RTV International Film Festival 2026Synopsis
Armed mercenaries transport a kidnapped girl through a war zone, but her desperate pleas force one of them to question the mission.
About the film
Across a region ravaged by armed conflict, three armed men transport a kidnapped girl. She begins to realize what awaits her... One of her captors, Kashtan, tries to remain cold and detached, but gradually begins to see his prisoner as a human being. The more insistently the girl pleads to be saved, the more his orders and fear clash with his awakening conscience... The road through a bleak winter forest becomes a harrowing ordeal for Kashtan and leads him to an inevitable choice.
Director(s)
Arseniy Mikhailovich Gonchukov was born on March 19, 1979. He is a film director, producer, and screenwriter, and a graduate of the Moscow School of New Cinema (MSNC). For many years, he has been a champion and passionate advocate of independent cinema. His portfolio includes six feature films. Winner of the Grand Prix at the Window to Europe Film Festival; participant in the 77th Montreal Film Festival and the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market. His films have screened at hundreds of film festivals worldwide.
Film stills
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RTV International Film Festival — Inaugural Online Edition · 2026