THE DOOR (MIA)

Based on the monologue A Whole Life Written Down on Doors, the Testimony of Nikolai Fomich Kalugin by Belarusian journalist Svetlana Alexievich, Director Juanita Wilson’s poignant, emotive film begins with a very simple act, the stealing of a door. However, as the film progresses and the narrative unwinds, we discover this act is far more complex than we could have initially imagined. The door is in fact a vital part of a traditional ritual, carried out by a grieving family in the aftermath of the Chernobyl tragedy. The Door is a universal symbol of life, of death, of entering the next life. It has many associations inherent in it, both positive and negative. It can mean an opportunity gained or an opportunity lost: As one door opens, another one closes.

Irish director Juanita Wilson’s first film The Door was nominated for an Oscar 2010 and went on to win numerous awards and festivals throughout the world. Juanita Wilson is a producer and director, known for As If I Am Not There (2010) and Tomato Red (2017).

Runtime: 16 mins

Below you will find resources translated from materials created by our Portuguese partners that provide in-depth film analysis. There are 2 PDF lesson plans and 1 Powerpoint.

Juanita has also kindly shared her script/screenplay and other pre production documents with us. These can be found in the Worksheets section below.

A recorded interview with Director of The Door Juanita Wilson is available in the Masterclasses page of this website. This Q&A webinar was recorded in June 2020 as part of our Shortcut Teachers Conference. The conversation has been split into 4 bit size masterclasses for your classroom. Juanita Wilson discusses in detail each stage of The Door film production.

Lesson Plans

Work Sheets