Eight-year-old Katya spends the summer with her grandparents in the Russian countryside. Time seems to stand still, the adults are silent, and in the background, a war continues to destroy lives. Meanwhile, the children grow up and the clouds slowly pass by in the sky. Nastia Korkia composes a poetic, impressionistic portrait of innocence in the shadow of conflict. Balancing tenderness with disquiet, the director transforms the smallest moments into reflections on memory and resilience. Shot on 16mm film, the film captures how fear and denial quietly permeate everyday life, through whispers, glances, and fleeting movements, serving as a time capsule of a lost childhood and as a reminder that war persists, even when it is not visible.

Nastia Korkia is a Russian-born director based in Germany and France. Her documentary *GES-2* premiered at the 78th Venice Film Festival. Her kaleidoscopic work, screened at IDFA and Berlinale, explores the edges of documentary and fiction, experimenting with diverse media and storytelling technologies. The Short Summer was honored at the Venice International Film Festival with the Lion of the Future ‒ Luigi De Laurentiis Award for Best First Film.