Belarus, 2020: Following the rigged presidential election won by Lukashenko, protests in the country continue. Lena, a journalist, who is critical of the regime, reports on the violent suppression of a peaceful demonstration. Afterwards, she is targeted by a police drone, but continues her reporting. Ultimately, she is arrested. Lena's husband, Ilya, prepares to leave the country once she is released from custody. However, the regime has no intention of releasing her. This gripping feature film is inspired by the true story of Belarusian journalist couple Igor Ilyash and Katsiaryna Andreyeva. Andreyeva was arrested in November 2020 and is currently serving an eight-year sentence in a Belarusian prison.
After the screening, IWM Permanent Fellow Ludger Hagedorn will be in conversation with Maryna Yakubovich, who plays one of the lead roles in the film. Born in Minsk in 1984, Yakubovich is a theater and film actress, director, and acting teacher. Forced to leave Belarus in 2021, she currently teaches at the Thomas Bernhard Institute of the Mozarteum University in Salzburg.
Free admission. Registration required: event.wien@instytutpolski.pl
PL 2024, 81 min, Polish with English subtitles
Director and screenplay: Mara Tamkovich
Cinematography: Krzysztof Trela
Editing: Katarzyna Leśniak
Starring: Aliaksandra Vaitsekhovich, Valentin Novopolskij, Maryna Yakubovich
You can watch the trailer further below.
