MARINA

An unfiltered portrait of adolescence with a blind internet sensation. Short documentary, premiered at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam and is now live on Nowness. Nowness press release: With over 21,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel, Marina Katarina Kovac—a blind 13-year-old internet personality from The Netherlands—wants to show the world what visually impaired people are capable of. “The journey to adulthood is a strange time and Marina gives us an immediate look at her life” “Discovering Marina’s YouTube channel was like traveling back to when I was 13,” says the film’s Dutch director Kate Villevoye. “The journey to adulthood is a strange time and Marina gives such an immediate and unfiltered look at her life during this crucial period.” Kovac—who has interchangeable prosthetic eyes and navigates the world by hearing echoes—may not know her best friend’s physical features, but still broadcasts herself chopping vegetables, doing exercise classes, riding a bike, and playing team sports. The intrepid adolescent insists that difference won’t stop her from leading a typical teenage life. “I wanted to show that no challenge is too big for Marina,” Villevoye continues. “She has a fearless attitude, and, as she might say, ‘Don’t speak about me as if I can't hear you, my hearing is just fine.’”