The Art of Survival: Practices of Independent Belarusian Film Production and Distribution in an Authoritarian State in the 2000s

• In Event: Identity, Resistance, and Solidarity: Decolonizing Narratives in Belarusian Cinema

Abstract

Filmmaking in authoritarian Belarus is a real challenge. Dictator Lukashenko, in love with the practices of the Soviet Union, tried to build a film industry that is based on the idea of ​​​​a monopoly of the only state film company remaining from the times of the Soviet Empire - Belarusfilm. Special conditions were created for the state monopolist, separate legislation for Belarusfilm was implemented, and practically unlimited government funding was opened. Despite this, private film companies and initiatives created an entire alternative film industry, which became the real source of modern Belarusian cinema. Film studios and groups “BezBuslow”, the Social Cinema Workshop, the Minsk Film School-Studio, “Kinovarka” festival, “Navigator”, “Demarsh” and others have created a unique cultural layer of the New Wave of Belarusian cinema.

Author

• Andrei Kureichyk, U of Chicago