{"id":418524,"date":"2026-07-29T15:00:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T15:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ucm.one\/where-the-waves-took-her-nonfy-documentaries\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T09:22:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T09:22:10","slug":"where-the-waves-took-her-nonfy-documentaries","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ucm.one\/en\/where-the-waves-took-her-nonfy-documentaries\/","title":{"rendered":"Where the Waves Took Her | NONFY Documentaries"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Where the Waves Took Her<\/span><\/h1>\n

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For many people, crossing the Mediterranean is their last hope\u2014and at the same time the world\u2019s most dangerous escape route. As more and more women and children undertake this journey, a midwife is now a permanent member of the crew aboard a search-and-rescue vessel. \u201cWhere the Waves Took Her\u201d<\/strong> follows midwife Anne-Katrin on her first mission, portrays a strong all-female team on board, and gives refugee women the space to tell their own stories.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner disable_element=”yes”][vc_column_inner width=”4\/5″][vc_message css=”.vc_custom_1785317860005{padding-bottom: 17px !important;}”]Theatrical Release:<\/strong> In theaters across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland beginning September 3, 2026.[\/vc_message][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/5″ css=”.vc_custom_1770213337653{padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_btn title=”Showtimes” color=”juicy-pink” size=”lg” align=”center” css=”” button_block=”true” link=”url:%23showtimes|”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1561290391124{border-right-width: -15px !important;}”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_single_image image=”418175″ img_size=”full” css=””][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Synopsis<\/h3>\n
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For many people, crossing the Mediterranean to Europe is often their last hope of escaping war, persecution, and hunger. As increasing numbers of women and children are forced to undertake one of the world\u2019s most dangerous migration routes, a midwife has become a permanent member of the crew aboard a search-and-rescue vessel. “Where the Waves Took Her<\/strong>” follows Berlin-based midwife Anne-Katrin on her first rescue mission. Her journey unfolds in parallel with the women\u2019s stories of displacement.<\/p>\n

As we join Anne-Katrin in meeting the strong, all-female medical team on board and preparing with them for an emergency, the displaced women recount the suffering they endured on their journey to Europe through a distinctive visual approach involving long-exposure photography and a water-filled studio. The long exposures create blurred, poetic images that not only preserve the women\u2019s anonymity and protect their identities, but also convey the emotional intensity of their experiences in a new way. On board the ship, the worlds of the women and the crew briefly come together before the women arrive in Italy and begin another journey into the unknown.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Festival Selection & Awards<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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  • 59th Hof International Film Festival 2025<\/strong> \u2014 Honorable Mention for the GRANIT Documentary Film Award<\/li>\n
  • 22nd achtung berlin Film Festival 2026<\/strong> \u2014 Documentary Competition (Berlin Premiere)<\/li>\n
  • Human Rights Film Festival Berlin 2026<\/strong> \u2014 Official Selection<\/li>\n
  • International Women\u2019s Film Festival Dortmund+Cologne 2026<\/strong> \u2014 Female Gaze \u2013 CineOne & sPOTTlight National Award for Cinematographers (Cinematography: Sophia Fenn)<\/li>\n
  • Hot Docs 2026<\/strong> \u2014 Persister Program (International Premiere)<\/li>\n
  • 55th Sehs\u00fcchte International Student Film Festival 2026<\/strong> \u2014 Documentary Competition<\/li>\n
  • DOK.fest M\u00fcnchen 2026<\/strong> \u2014 Official Selection<\/li>\n
  • SI STAR Emerging Female Director Award 2026<\/strong> (Director: Jana Stallein)<\/li>\n
  • German Camera Award 2026<\/strong> \u2014 Nomination in the Theatrical Documentary category (Cinematography: Sophia Fenn)<\/li>\n
  • DOK.fest M\u00fcnchen 2026<\/strong> \u2014 Nomination for the VFF Emerging Documentary Production Award (Producer: Charlotte Peters)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Director\u2019s Statement \u2014 Jana Stallein<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    \u201cIn 2019, I took part in a search-and-rescue mission at sea for the first time. In the middle of the night, we rescued 32 people, including five women and ten children, the youngest just three months old. Waves more than eleven feet high crashed over our small vessel. Only days later, a heavily pregnant woman admitted that she had not felt her baby move since the rescue. We had no midwife on board. That moment stayed with me and inspired me to explore this subject: a woman who feels guilty because she wants a better life for her children and risks everything to achieve it.<\/em><\/p>\n

    \u2018I started writing down my story so I could share it with the world,\u2019 one woman said before I had even begun recording. \u2018It is social, spiritual, and educational. I believe it will resonate with you as well.\u2019 Every sentence that followed was harrowing, yet her words were chosen with the care of a poem. I want these stories to be heard.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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