Is a portrait of contemporary Belarus told through stories
of individuals who have
endured imprisonment, repression, and exile – voices silenced by an autocratic regime.
Combining observational footage, archival and found materials, testimonies, and animation
based on drawings
created in confinement, the film transforms private correspondence
into a cinematic space of intimacy, dignity,
and reflection, raising questions
about sacrifice, solidarity, and the human cost of resistance in a silenced country.
of the film's protagonists
"Censorship is afraid of drawings like these. Maybe draw some nice vistas instead: seaside, mountains.” But how, when all I see is walls and bars. It’s like living in a tin can."
"At the beginning, I’ve dreamt of freedom. I could walk the streets, lay in grass, at least in dreams. Lately, in my dreams we’re all locked up. My relatives are serving time with me."
"Thank you for the images. Keep them coming. I can’t get enough.
Letters are all the info we’ve got. It’s a matter of time before they ban them."
"Mum! People respect me. You have raised me well. People saying that adults don’t need their mums, are wrong."
"How is it to live under occupation? You live each day like it’s your last. Answer loved ones calls without delay. Car always filled up. No valuables in the house. No distractions. Memorize, analyze, verify. Keep your head cool. Pray."
"My space is divided into two. Smaller one – where you feel fairly safe, and you can breathe freely. In other, you have to be on constant alert. Any time you can be recognized. Pursued. Captured. Fear becomes physical, it weighs down on you. When you pass Militsyya patrol or facial recognition cameras."
"I keep having the same dream. Someone tries to break into my flat in Minsk. I try to flee through the window or balcony, into the forest. In my dream I always manage to get out."
"They sat me down, blindfolded and cuffed me. The cuffs were weighted down. I thought they’re going to just throw me into the lake. I asked God’s forgiveness and made my peace."
from other political prisoners
Since 2020, over 65,000 politically motivated arrests and detentions have been recorded in Belarus, with many of them resulting in years-long prison sentences.
The United Nations documented systematic torture of political prisoners: beatings, isolation, cold, hunger and the denial of medical care.
Despite internationally negotiated releases, new political prisoners keep filling the cells. Many of those freed were forcibly expelled from Belarus without documents or belongings.
Andrei Kutsila is a Belarusian documentary filmmaker based in Poland. He earned a degree in Journalism from the Belarusian State University in 2007 and graduated from the Belarusian State Academy of Arts in 2009. His documentaries have been screened and awarded at major international festivals, including IDFA, DOK Leipzig, Hot Docs, and the Krakow Film Festival.
His documentary Summa (2018) won the IDFA Award for Best Mid-Length Documentary, followed by the Silver Hobby-Horse for Best Documentary in the National Competition at the Krakow Film Festival in 2019. When Flowers Are Not Silent (2021) received the Best Feature Documentary Award at the Warsaw Film Festival. Forced to leave Belarus after the 2020 protests, Kutsila settled in Poland, where he continued his artistic development through an internship at the Łódź Film School. Over the past five years, his work has focused primarily on documenting the experiences of Belarusians living under repression and in exile.
"I was forced to leave Belarus five years ago, after the protests against the falsification of the presidential elections were violently suppressed. I know the stories of those imprisoned by the regime firsthand. My sister was one of them — she was arrested, and she still cannot forget the screams of people being tortured every night. This is not a story of the past. The repression continues. Almost every day, someone is arrested, someone is sentenced — often without public knowledge. Through my film, I want to give voice to those who cannot speak – Belarusians living in a silenced country."
Focal Distance /// Kill the Day /// Summa /// Strip and War /// I Need The Handshakes /// When Flowers Are Not Silent
He is a documentary film director and producer with more than 30 years of experience. He has made 80+ films that have received 120+ awards at international film festivals. Some of his most notable films include: „A lesson of Belorussian", „Music Partisans", „Alisa in Warland", „Summa", which won awards at IDFA, as well as at Leipzig, Berlin, Toronto, San Francisco, Krakow and other festivals. In 2016, he founded the DocEdu Foundation. Together with a group of prominent Polish documentary filmmakers, as part of the Foundation, he has been implementing the Young Europe program, which supports young filmmakers from Ukraine, Belarus and Georgia.
Giedrė Žickytė is a European Film Academy (EFA) nominated film director and producer, and the recipient of the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts (2022). She is based in Vilnius, Lithuania, where she founded the production company Moonmakers. She has directed and produced internationally award-winning documentaries such as Master and Tatyana, I'm Not from Here (co-directed with M. Alberdi), and The Jump, which was selected as Lithuania's official entry for the Academy Awards. In addition, Giedrė produced Iryna Tsilyk's documentary The Earth is Blue as an Orange, which picked up the World Documentary Competition's Best Directing Award at Sundance in 2020.
Experienced journalist, filmmaker, and producer based in Berlin. Born in Nagoya, Japan, he studied communication, Japanese studies, and religious studies in Berlin, then worked as a producer at Japan News Network's Berlin office before becoming a freelance filmmaker in 2001. In 2020, he joined inselfilm produktion as producer and CEO. His award-winning documentaries, including My Atomic Aunt, Letters from Mölln, and Letters from Wilcza, have screened at festivals like Cannes, Locarno, and DOK Leipzig, and aired on major broadcasters such as ARD, ZDF, arte, NHK, and HBO. He focuses on character-driven, socially engaged storytelling.
Since 2001 Gregor Streiber produced more than 400 programs for German and international broadcasters, e.g. ZDF, arte, WDR, BBC, HBO Europe, NHK, IKON, 3sat, from magazine reports, feature documentaries as well as award winning creative documentaries. He is the CEO of werwiewas medienproduktion and inselfilm. Besides his activities as a producer he has directed several documentaries himself dealing with topcis of science, technology and society. Gregor Streiber is regularly invited to panels, pitching forums and documentary workshops.
Acclaimed director, cinematographer, and producer, who has over 40 years of experience in filmmaking and education. He is a member of the European Film Academy, and has taught at film schools across Europe. Blawut's work includes highly regarded documentaries like Born Dead (2004) and Wojownik (2007), often exploring Polish history. Known for his meticulous research and commitment to preserving memory, his film sets are featured in Polish museums.
Animation director, filmmaker, and founder of the independent studio Motion Cats. Her work spans animation, title design, and visual storytelling across film, theatre, and cultural projects. Her credits include the series The Mothers of Penguins, the mixed-media docudrama My Dream, My Story, and the feature film Oskar, Patsy and Baltic Gold. Her experimental short Marbles received a Special Mention at Tricky Women/Tricky Realities and Best Experimental Animation at ReAnima Bergen. A graduate of the Łódź Film School, she also teaches animation and develops educational projects.
Experienced film editor and educator, graduate of Lodz Film School, member of the European Film Academy and Polish Editors Association. His award-winning work has been featured at over 40 international festivals, including Cannes, TIFF, and IDFA. He edited In the Rearview (2023), Poland's most awarded documentary of 2023, winner of Sheffield Doc/Fest Grand Prix and Oscar shortlist nominee. Other highlights include Everything Needs to Live (2024) and series like Skin Hunters (2024, HBO MAX).
Cinematographer, director, and screenwriter. He studied at the School of Film in Thessaloniki, the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School, and the Łódź Film School (PWSFTviT). He has won awards at the Krakow Film Festival (KFF), CinemAmbiente, BIFED, and the In The Palace Film Festival, among others. His films have received nominations at festivals including IDFA, FIPADOC, TIDF, New Orleans Film Festival, Sheffield DocFest, Melbourne Film Festival, and the Polish Film Festival (FPFF) in Gdynia.
Vilnius-based composer and multi-instrumentalist, co-owner and composer at Garso Generatoriai, who studied composition at LMTA (Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre) and Vilnius Conservatory. Known for blending alternative, electronic, and indie styles, Vygintas has composed music for notable Lithuanian films including Once Upon a Vilnius (2022), El padre médico (2019), Sasha Was Here (2018), Solomamma (2025). His innovative work bridges tradition and modern soundscapes in Lithuania's music and film.
Composer for film, theatre, and media, and co-creator of music projects such as Amberscope, Empti, Overtone, Bango Collective. In the duo The Bus, he won a Silver Crane Award for the score to The Gambler (2013). The soundtrack for Sasha Was Here (2018), created with Vygintas Kisevičius, was nominated at the Aubagne Film Festival.
Renowned sound designer, who has worked on over 70 feature, documentary, and animated films since fully dedicating himself to film sound in 2004. Known for projects like Redirected (2014), I Want to Live (2018), and The Southern Chronicles (2024), he often leads entire postproduction sound workflows. His international collaborations span Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, and beyond. A three-time Silver Crane and two-time Lielais Kristaps award winner, Saulius Urbanavičius is also a member of MPSE, the Motion Picture Sound Editors guild.
The DocEdu Foundation was established by a group of experienced filmmakers associated with the Polish Documentary School to support young filmmakers from Poland and abroad at the beginning of their careers. Since 2011, numerous film workshops have been organized: „World from Dawn to Dusk,” „Young about Themselves,” „Young about Ukraine,” and „My World in the Time of Plague.” Building on this experience, the comprehensive Young Europe program was created, supporting the production of original documentary films. It helps young filmmakers develop ideas, write scripts, edit trailers, etc. The best projects enter the production phase. The DocEdu Foundation assists in raising funds, organizes production, supports festival promotion, and distributes finished films. Many films by young filmmakers have gained international recognition, including „Alisa in Warland” (dir. Alisa Kovalenko), „When the Wind Stops” (dir. Aniela Gabriel), „Summa” (dir. Andrei Kutsila).
Moonmakers is an award-winning documentary film production company based in Vilnius, Lithuania. Founded in 2013 by EFA-nominated director and producer Giedrė Žickytė, the company explores unique human stories that reach international audiences. Moonmakers work with both new and established talent, creating space for their creative vision.
inselfilm produktion is a Berlin based German production company founded in 2001. We focus on the development and production of creative documentary formats and international co-productions for theatrical release, broadcasters and online streaming platforms. Our award winning documentaries have screened at major film festivals across the world such as Semaine de la Critique du Festival de Canne, Locarno International Film Festival, Visions du Réel, DOK Leipzig Film Festival. They have been released in German and European theatres, and broadcast on such networks as ARD, ZDF, Arte, BBC, NHK and HBO to cite a few.
