Black Snow

A lone trucker hauls supplies across the frozen wilderness of Yakutia, quietly profiting by trading cheap alcohol for local goods. When greed pushes him to abandon his route and head back alone, his truck breaks down in the middle of endless snow. Stranded hundreds of kilometers from anyone else, he is forced to face the brutal cold—and the consequences of his own choices.

The film shot almost entirely in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), one of the coldest inhabited regions on Earth, where winter temperatures regularly drop below −40°C.

Black Snow (Khara Khaar) is part of the modern Yakut film movement, often called Sakhawood, a regional cinema phenomenon known for low budgets, local stories, and strong cultural identity.

Director Stepan Burnashev also wrote the film, continuing his focus on morally complex characters pushed to extremes by isolation, nature, and personal choices.

The story is rooted in real social issues of the region, including illegal alcohol trade, economic inequality, and exploitation of remote northern villages.

Nature in the film functions not just as a setting but as an active force, turning the frozen landscape into a silent judge of the protagonist’s actions.

Black Snow received major recognition in Russia, winning the Grand Prix at the Window to Europe Film Festival in 2020, which brought wider attention to Yakut cinema.