Alda
In a remote salt-making village, a mother struggles to protect her son when he begins mysteriously levitating, triggering fear and superstition among villagers who believe his rising will expose their hidden sins including a secret she has buried herself.
In a remote salt-making village, Alda’s son Lukas begins mysteriously levitating. As he rises higher each week, unexplained deaths, fires, and accidents push the village into panic. An ancient stone is discovered warning that a rising child can see the sins of those below. Terrified villagers turn against the boy. When Alda’s husband returns from war, she must decide whether to reveal a secret that will destroy her honor or allow the village to sacrifice her son.
Director's note
The image of a levitating person fascinated me since childhood. I remember hearing stories about Buddhist monks who, through meditation, were believed to rise from the ground. As a child I often imagined what it would feel like to slowly lift away from the earth. That mysterious image stayed with me for many years before it found its place in this story.
The idea for Saltmakers came later while watching the news. During wars and social crises, the most vulnerable are always children. They are the ones adults promise to protect, yet they are often the first to suffer. I wanted to combine this painful reality with the image of a child rising into the air while the adults below struggle with fear, guilt, and responsibility.
In the film, levitation becomes a mirror for the village. As Lukas rises, the villagers begin to fear what he might reveal about them. What begins as wonder slowly turns into paranoia and violence.
Producer's note
Saltmakers takes place in a remote salt-making village in fourteenth-century Georgia, offering a visually striking and rarely seen historical setting. The harsh mountain landscape, the physical labor of salt production, and the fragile village economy create a grounded world where survival depends on community and trust. When a boy begins mysteriously levitating, fear spreads through the village and slowly exposes hidden tensions and secrets among its people. The supernatural event becomes a catalyst that reveals guilt, paranoia, and the dangers of collective hysteria. From a production perspective, the story combines a contained location, a focused cast, and a strong visual concept.