Born in 1952 in Chita. Studied screenwriting at the Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK), and went on to postgraduate study in screenwriting and directing (1987–89). Her debut film about a village family, Hey, You Geese, came out in 1991. The countryside is the common denominator of all her projects, on which she works mainly with non-actors. Her second film In That Land (1997), which shows the impact of the transformation of life in a Russian village, gained many international awards. She further develops this theme in Granny.

filmography:
• 1988 Uroslenje
• 1991 Oj, vi gusi (Hey, You Geese)
• 1998 V toj strane/In That Land (V tej deželi)
• 2003 Babusja/Granny