INSULTED. BELARUS(SIA)
A film by Oksana Mysina
Based on the play by Andrei Kureichik
SEE BELOW FOR TWO DESCRIPTIONS OF THIS UNIQUE FILM PROJECT
INSULTED. BELARUS(SIA)
THE TRAILER
To watch trailer with English subtitles, click on the CC button at lower right and ensure that "English" is turned on.
ABOUT INSULTED. BELARUS(SIA)
Insulted. Belarus(sia) is a Russian-language experimental feature film in the genre of a filmed reading, created by an international acting, directing and writing team.
In August 2020, dramatic events unfolded before the eyes of the world in the center of Europe, in Belarus. An illegitimate leader, cynically sidestepping the niceties of legality, provoked large-scale civic confrontation. The state answered the united population's peaceful protests with massive, bloody repressions. Andrei Kureichik, a popular Belarusian writer and member of the opposition's Coordination Council, in the heat of his homeland's peaceful revolution, wrote a splendid, powerful play. He sent it to his Russian colleagues, and, in days, a stellar cast, inspired to speak out about the situation in neighboring Belarus, began filming the searing material on their electronic devices.
“We decided to present this new play to spectators in the form of an experimental film, moreover, in the shortest possible time,” said director Oksana Mysina, a famed Russian actress.
A film of the coronavirus era! It was shot in just one week, while editing took a month. All work was done online, with actors safely isolated. Mysina worked in Greece, the actors – in Russia and Spain. Kureichik, having written his play in Belarus, subsequently traveled to various countries and continents, in part to avoid reprisals in his homeland, in part, to attend readings of his play which had gone viral internationally.
“This is a political film offered in the genre of a reading,” said Mysina, who debuts as a film director with Insulted. Belarus(sia). “It was important for us to convey the living collisions of a play that often directly quotes actual political antipodes as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, opposition leader, President-elect, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, and other real-life figures.
“The cast did the impossible: some actors filmed themselves, husbands and wives filmed partners, while girlfriends filmed friends. The acting and camera work were inspirational! Footage was emailed to me immediately, and I put everything together, simultaneously downloading new material and mastering the art of editing. We transformed our apartments into film sets and editing studios. Russian independent TV channel Rain responded to our offer of cooperation, providing us with exclusive documentary footage shot on the streets of Belarus. Meanwhile, my husband John Freedman and I filmed natural habitats and ancient ruins in Crete to play on the documentary and mythological aspects of the plot. The film premiered on TV Rain in mid-November, 2020.
“Speaking for the entire team, I would say this project, unusual in every sense, was a very valuable experience, but above all, was an act of solidarity. We deeply empathize with the Belarusians, we admire their their noble spirit, and their will to prevail. We created this film with love, and we very much want people to see it.”
IN PLACE OF A SYNOPSIS
Insulted. Belarus(sia) was written during the first month of the Belarus revolution in August 2020. It is based, in part, on actual statements made by President Alexander Lukashenko (known as Oldster in the film) and his political rival Svetlana Tikhanovskaya (Novice in the film). Five other characters present an overview of Belarusian society – 1) Mentor, an ageing teacher who believes in “law and order” and helps guarantee Lukashenko's reelections every four years by falsifying results; 2) Corpse, an excitable soccer fan who is sick of living under the same president his entire life, and who is based, in part, on Alexander Taraikovsky, the first protester to die in the nascent Belarusian revolution; 3) Raptor, a storm trooper who trained during the Euromaidan revolution in Ukraine and is now in Belarus to put down rebellions there; 4) Cheerful, a high-spirited, loving young woman, based loosely on the musician and political activist Maria Kalesnikava, who believes the Universe sends her good vibes, and whose sister is to marry the storm trooper; and 5) Youth, Lukashenko's teenaged son Kolya, who is being groomed for the presidency, but would prefer to play internet games. The lives of each of these individuals – with the possible exception of Kolya, for his debt to destiny is yet to be paid – is impacted tragically by Lukashenko's decision to crush the revolution with violence and torture.
