Malika Musayeva was born in Grozny, Chechen Republic. During the Second Chehen War in 1999, she fled the Chechen Republic. During her studies at Russia’s Kabardino-Balkarian State University she directed several short films which were presented at various international film festivals. She later received a degree in Directing at the Hamburg Media School in Germany. In Hamburg, she directed two short films. “The Cage is Looking for a Bird” marks her feature debut. She currently resides and works in Germany.

“The Cage Is Looking for a Bird” is screening at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival, which runs from February 16-26.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

MM: “The Cage Is Looking for a Bird” is a coming-of-age story of a young Chechen girl called Yakha who lives in a small Chechen village. She witnesses the patriarchal world where the fates of her sister, mother, and female friend unravel. Yakha decides to stop this vicious circle.

It is a story of becoming aware of her real self, of the world around her. She attempts to fight for the right to decide on how to live her own life.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

MM: There was no specific occasion or moment that led to the creation of this film. It was rather a long, cumulative process of witnessing the fates of people who are important to me — for example, my friends and sisters. It is a kind of compilation of Chechen women’s fates which were accumulated in my memory. And when it became possible, I made my debut film on that subject.

I have always cared about the position of Chechen women. I know about the situation and position of women in my homeland. It is a specific region where you do not talk about yourself and your problems. It is important to me that we talk for ourselves.

W&H: What do you want people to think about after they watch the film?

MM: I hope that the screening of the film at the Berlin Film Festival will bring hope to Chechen girls. Even if that hope is a drop in the ocean. I would like to wish Chechen women not to lose their dream, and to have faith in themselves. Being born as a Chechen is not a verdict. And there is also the hope that after watching this film, society will take notice of the women’s problem in Chechnya. And, as [Russian director] Alexander Sokurov [who taught me at Kabardino-Balkarian State University] used to say, “to soften temperament.”

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

MM: The fact that it was possible to make this film is a real wonder. In Chechnya, feature films have never been made, and people do not know what it is. In addition, the Chechen society is intimidated and lives in constant fear. That is a consequence of the two destructive wars and the political regime in which people live now. First of all, it was difficult to find people who would agree to make a film. The difficulty was also that I didn’t understand where to make this kind of film. With the producer Nikolay Yankin (the Sokurov Foundation’s Example of Intonation), we travelled practically all over the North Caucasus. It was a hard and difficult process. At one point, I was just discouraged, and I thought I would never be able to make this film. Eventually, like a light at the end of the tunnel, I arrived in a small village on the border with Chechnya and Ingushetia. In this village, I met some amazing people who had dared to walk this way with me.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

MM: I made the film with the support of the Alexander Sokurov Foundation Example of Intonation and Ilya Stewart’s Hype Studios. The original proposal to shoot with the help of the Example of Intonation Foundation came from Alexander Sokurov, under whom I studied in the directing workshop at Kabardino- Balkarian University in the city of Nalchik. Without my master, this film would simply not have happened. At all stages, the most difficult and sometimes risky ones, Alexander Sokurov helped and supported me in everything. I will never have the words to thank my master.

W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

MM: I never had the dream of becoming a film director. My dream since childhood was to become a journalist. My idols was Anna Politkovskaya and Natalia Estemirova, and I dreamed of continuing their work and being a human rights activist. I went into directing by chance – my parents wouldn’t let me go to another city where I could study journalism. Then I found out that film director Alexander Sokurov was coming to Nalchik and was opening a directing workshop. I was very sad that I was not allowed to go to study Journalism and then my mother, to make up for it somehow, literally took me by the hand to the university, to the entrance exam for Alexander Sokurov. Later, she regretted it because I had not become a perfect Chechen mother, wife, and housewife.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

MM: There have been many, but I can’t remember any. I always end up doing what I think is right for me.

W&H: What advice do you have for other women directors?

MM: I would like to give the words that Alexander Sokurov used to tell us, “Never be afraid of anything.”

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

MM: I really love Rohrwacher’s works. My most favorite film is “The Wonders.” Her films for me are a real miracle, some kind of magic. I’m also a big fan of Chantal Akerman’s films. Her work is very close to me – it speaks to me and forces me to look deep into myself.

W&H: What, if any, responsibilities do you think storytellers have to confront the tumult in the world, from the pandemic to the loss of abortion rights and systemic violence?

MM: Cinema is a powerful medium for influencing and educating. It’s also a political instrument. Film is also a form of confrontation and struggle, and the more people in the film industry think and fight for rights, the more society has a chance to stand up against them. Film is also a form of opposition and fight.

W&H: The film industry has a long history of underrepresenting people of color onscreen and behind the scenes and reinforcing — and creating — negative stereotypes. What actions do you think need to be taken to make Hollywood and/or the doc world more inclusive?

MM: It is imperative that this old white man world is deprived of its power. The film world needs more people of color who are actors, actresses, screenwriters, and directors. It seems to me that unfortunately this change is still very minimal, at least in Germany, where I live.

I want to see young directors and actors who are people of color to be able to make their own stories, rather than have their stories being told by white people. People of color should get more support, funding, and opportunities to tell their own stories, not the stories the white world dictates to them. This requires that the ill-informed white male decision makers no longer sit in leadership positions.

It seems to me that change is needed from within, and this change should not be an issue on the periphery of the industry, but the main task. Change has to come from within.