here - Kultura Enter

Dawn atcolonialruinsconcentrates on being rather than on doing. It captures the eternity thatis shown in a disappearing mid ‐era context.This eternity shows in Uva use dni (2008) by Mikhail Zhdanouski, whichtells about an artist who paints icons on stones and places crosses in Kurapaty(the site of Stalin’s crimes). The existential fracture is present in SiarheiHalavetski’s Medahliad (1997) about the life of the elderly in the Chernobylzone of nuclear pollution.Undoubtedly, the leaders of Belarusian documentary cinema are ViktarAsliuk and Halina Adamovich. After My zhyviem na krai and Kola, ViktarAsliuk became the member of the European Film Academy. Villagers andtheir cows, relocated from one shore to the other, live on the “edge”: theirvillage is being washed away by the Nyoman river. The old life is ceasing.The film’s heroes remind of the Renaissance elderly by the color of theirclothes and of Kusturica’s characters by their behavior. My zhyviem na krai isnot a feature film, though. It is a documentary which records in a stirringlymechanical way possibly the last moments in the life of a disappearingvillage.The trilogy Bozha moy, Zaviadzionka, Muzhchynskaya sprava by HalinaAdamovich looks into the spiritual moments of everyday life. Its charactersare the village female artist who makes sculptures of Virgin Mary, the familywith many children, and musicians with their mission.Belarusian cinematography on the brink of changesNew initiatives appear from nowhere. Belarusfilm property ‐masters IharAsmalouski and Siarhei Siamionau used their own money to produce thetragicomedy Pravintsyal in 2009. The village beauty queen who is doomedto breed pigs dreams of breaking away and corresponds with a wealthyGerman, having two other sweethearts at the same time.The anarchy group Navinki is always good at underground politicaldocumentary ‐making, presenting such films as Sluchai z Patsanom (2001)or Good -bye Bats’ka (2006). They also work on movie commixes.The Magnificat International Catholic Festival of Christian Films and TVPrograms expands its sphere of influence as well. The festival, a partner ofthe Niepakalianava festival, will take place in Belarus for the seventh time