Belarusian Waltz

In Belarus, Europe's last dictatorship, Alexander Pushkin uses his "patriotic" art to protest his government's policies and persecution.

Film Signature Image
Series
POV, Global Voices
Premiere Date
August 12, 2008
Length
60 minutes
Funding Initiative
International
  • Nominated laurels-r Created with Sketch.
    2009 News and Documentary Emmy Awards-Outstanding Arts and Culture Programming
    • Director

    Andrjez Fidyk

    Andrzej Fidyk has directed more than 40 documentaries for Polish and British television and has received numerous awards for his work. Many regard Fidyk as Poland's finest documentary director. His credits include Battu's Bioscope (aka Mobile Cinema of Dreams, 1998) and The Parade (1989). Fidyk was originally educated as an economist, majoring in… Show more international trade from the University of Warsaw. He lives in Warsaw, Poland. Show less

    Producer

    Torstein Grude

    Torstein Grude is a painter, director, cinematographer and producer and one of the initiators of the independent production company Piraya Film AS. He received a degree in media theory and film history from the University of Bergen in 1994, then enrolled at the London International Film School, where he finished his last year of training in 1997. Grude's… Show more credits include the features Yodok, On a Tightrope and Welcome Home, as well as Tin Soldiers, Instant Happiness, Heaven Inside Us, The Con Kid, and Satan Rides the Media. His films have been screened at more than 100 festivals and have received many awards. He lives in Stavanger, Norway. Show less

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    The Film

    Belarus has been called "Europe's last dictatorship." Since 1994, Alexander Lukashenko has ruled the ex-Soviet republic with a despotic hand, jailing the opposition, shutting down the press, and refusing to investigate the assassinations of dissidents. He has virtually silenced his critics — but not one lone performance artist who stages public stunts mocking the dictator's pretensions. Belarusian Waltz is the story of Alexander Pushkin, whose audacious, comical exploits find him facing the hostility of the police and the consternation of his family. An offbeat tale of post-modern street theater meeting 1930s-style authoritarianism, the film offers a surprising window into the soul of the Belarusian people.

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