Lise Birk Pedersen

Documentary filmmaker Lise Birk Pedersen burst onto the international scene in 2012 with her hard-hitting political documentary "Putin's Kiss." Pedersen first become interested in documenting reality after visiting China as a 16 year-old, and was fascinated by its strange political and social climate. She was moved to fill her sketchbook with drawings, but ultimately she sought a more dynamic medium. She made her first documentary film in 1999, a short called "Forføreren" and followed that up in 2003 with the short "Margarita," a portrait of a Russian girl now living in Denmark wistfully imagining the friends she had left behind. "Dear God" was her 2006 effort, and it would be another four years before she directed "Nastyas Hjerte," her longest film to date, with a running time of more than 40 minutes. After visiting Russia and witnessing its unique circumstances, Pedersen decided to film a documentary that followed the political education of a girl named Masha Drokova who, when the story begins, is a member of the country's youth movement and a devoted follower of President Vladimir Putin. As a result of her loyalty, Masha is rewarded by the state, but gradually as she begins spending time with those deemed undesirable, she becomes disillusioned. "Putin's Kiss" was a smash hit at Sundance and has gained much attention for Pedersen as well as the reality of modern day Russia.