Upwards

Upwards tells the story of young Alina, a girl living with her family on a landfill in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Abandoned by her father, Alina’s mother, with the help of her grandmother, supports the family by sorting waste and selling plastic. Alina’s spirit transforms her surroundings. She and her two sisters explore their lives, uncovering small wonders among broken treasures left by others. They constantly find moments of beauty within the harshness of their reality. As the film progresses through the four seasons, we witness the family’s way across different weather and conditions. Each season brings its own demands, testing the family’s resilience while also offering moments of charming beauty of life so close to nature. Alina’s strength and imagination become symbols of resilience, as she continues to find beauty in a place others discard, a place that has become her entire world but does not limit the extent of her dreams.