Irina Vodar

Russian-born director Irina Vodar explores the relationship of the feminine to the limiting belief system formed in the interplay of family, society and culture. Her debut feature documentary Miss Gulag (2007), was funded in part by the Ford Foundation and the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund, premiered at the 57th Berlin Film Festival in competition, screened at over 36 international and domestic festivals and TV networks, and received a wide educational distribution, including Cambridge University Department of Slavonic Studies library. Continuing on with her interest in women and society, Irina took on a taboo subject of infertility and Assisted Reproductive Technologies in Anything You Lose, an autobiographical hybrid documentary. Funded in part by the New York State Council on the Arts, the film premiered in 2019 at the Fertility Fest in London. She is now working in collaboration with Sash Andranikian on a follow-up documentary feature Kids Not Included, focusing on the future of sexuality, relationships and reproduction. Irina is a graduate of Russian National Film School (VGIK), and Columbia College, Chicago, Film Department. She is a recipient of The Peabody Award, a Daytime Emmy Award nominee, and is a contributor with ABC News TV Network.