Press releases

MINSK, 30 October (BelTA) – The Russian, a short film directed by Viktor Aslyuk, will represent Belarusfilm at the festival of the East European cinema in Cottbus, Germany due to run from 7 to 12 November, BelTA learned from the National Film Studio Belarusfilm.

The film makes part of a special section representing previously unknown Belarusian pictures. “We are happy that we can introduce our short fiction film to the audience. The participation in the festival will help us show the picture to a wider international audience as the festival traditionally welcomes guests from different European countries. They will be able to feel the atmosphere of the festival, find filmmaking partners, discuss the movies viewed, and exchange opinions on modern cinema,” the festival’s program director Bernd Buder said.

The Russian (2013) is based on Maksim Goretsky’s eponymous short story about the tragedy of World War I. A Belarusian soldier deployed by the Russian army accidentally encounters a Ukrainian soldier deployed by the Austrian army in a no man’s land. Thrown into someone else’s war, both peasants seem not to have reasons to hate each other. The war, however, is an evil that cripples people’s souls and destroys all that is human in them. This time, the war wins again.

The short film stars Mikhail Barskovich and Alexander Zhdanovich and is operated by Yuri Dokuchayev.

This year marks the 27th installment of the Cottbus Film Festival which is considered to be one of the best forums to meet with representatives of the East European cinema. Guests from over 30 countries and numerous film premieres make the festival a crucial event for distributors, festival managers, and film buyers.