We Live Here

On the vast steppes of Kazakhstan, three generations living near a former Soviet nuclear testing site grapple with the lingering aftereffects of the nuclear arms race.

In 1991, after 456 nuclear tests conducted over more than four decades, the Semipalatinsk Test Site ceased operations. Yet radiation continues to shape the lives of local communities, their livestock, and the solemn landscape they inhabit – scarred by the relics of the atomic age. We Live Here follows a steadfast father seeking government accountability after his daughter is diagnosed with aplastic anemia. While the global success of Oppenheimer spotlighted nuclear testing in the United States, director Zhanana Kurmasheva offers a far lesser-known perspective in her beautifully tranquil debut, delivering a timely warning while honoring human resilience and perseverance.

– Thomas Streekstra