Born in Grozny, Chechnya, in 1992. During the Second Chechen War, she migrated to Germany with her family and returned to Russia in 2003. She attended the Kabardino-Balkarian State University, in the North Caucasus, where she made several short films. Malika currently lives in Germany and is taking a degree at the Hamburg Media School. “The Cage Is Looking for a Bird” is her debut feature film.