Viva Belarus! The 18th edition of the Tofifest International Film Festival. Kujawy Pomorze Region shows solidarity with the Belarusians
The rebellious festival Tofifest has been taking a closer look at the reality since its very conception. Even though we often see films as a way of escaping the reality around us, we, in Torun, emphasise that cinema is also a means of learning about the world around us and understanding the processes happening in it.
Therefore, we are going to use the “Viva Belarus!” section to show you the films that look at Belarus from many different perspectives. Our geographical neighbour can be facing a historical breakthrough, which could introduce a completely new political order in the country. Today, President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the country for twenty five years, has a lot of reasons to be worried, which is a feeling he has not yet tasted. On 9th August, when results of the presidential elections were announced showing a crushing victory of the ruling president, thousands of Belarusians left their homes to protest on the streets and manifest their dissent from the fiddling with vote counting. Mass media from all around the world were disseminating pictures of the revolution happening right in front of our eyes, which were dominated by protesting women.
Thanks to the four documentary films: Belarusian Waltz, Début, Kalinovski Square, and Dangerous Acts Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus, the 18th edition of the Tofifest International Film Festival. Kujawy Pomorze Region will provide you with an opportunity to experience the ills and problems that contemporary Belarusians must deal with, but also learn about their everyday life, in which art becomes a safety valve.
The touching film Dangerous Acts Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus discusses precisely that. In the film, we see the authors of a provocative theatre, who must cope with tremendous financial and artistic risks. Their play prepared by the Belarus Free Theatre underground theatre group could make them go to prison or even get them killed. Thanks to the film camera, we can take a peek and see their moments of doubt, the challenges they face, but most of all the great hope they all share to see the last dictatorship in Europe overthrown.
The same hope was shared back in 2006, by the young people marching in great number through the street of Minsk to protest against the results of the presidential election, in which Alexander Lukashenko won with a total of 82.5% of votes, if you believed the official statistics, that is. The authors of the documentary film Kalinovski Square tried to reconstruct the events that went down in history as the Jeans Revolution, taking a somewhat different perspective than the one shown in the pro-government media.
As for Belarusian Waltz, it portrays the way in which the totalitarian regime breaks all opposition. Whoever dares to criticise the dictator, risks not only their freedom but can also be tortured. The documentary film depicts the life of artist Alexander Pushkin, who stages public happenings to mock President Alexander Lukashenko.
In Début, we see art interpreted as a means of dealing with the ugly reality, but this time it is the reality of a prison cell. The women serving their sentences within the walls of the Belarusian prison in Gomel are given an opportunity to perform in a theatre play. This way, they can demonstrate to the world that they are more than just criminals. This film is a messenger of hope, which proves that one can preserve their humanity, even in the worst of circumstances. And also faith that things will soon change for the better.
During the 18th edition of the Tofifest International Film Festival. Kujawy Pomorze Region, it will be a symbolic manifestation of our solidarity with the Belarusian people fighting for their freedom. Viva Belarus!
This year’s edition of the Festival will be held from 17th October to 25th October, naturally in Torun. It will have a hybrid nature, combining both stationary and on-line film screenings. Rest assured that one thing remains unchanged: the Tofifest International Film Festival will be a great feast for all cinema enthusiasts, both those coming to visit Torun in October and those sitting in front of their screens at home. Just as it is every single year.
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