Observing Eye

VENEZIA FILM FESTIVAL 2026 • OFFICIAL SELECTION

DESCEND

Listy is a portrait of contemporary Belarus told through stories of individuals who have endured imprisonment, repression, and exile – voices silenced by an autocratic regime.

TRAILER & PRODUCTION FILES

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THE CORE SYNOPSIS

A portrait of contemporary Belarus told through stories of individuals who have endured imprisonment, repression, and exile – voices silenced by an autocratic regime.

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CINEMATIC METHOD

Combining observational footage, archival and found materials, testimonies, and animation based on drawings created in confinement.

COMING SOON
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THE CREATORS

Directed by Andrei Kutsila. Co-produced by DocEdu Foundation, Moonmakers, and inselfilm produktion with international broadcast backing.

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THE HUMAN COST

Over 65,000 politically motivated arrests since 2020. Transforming private correspondence into a cinematic space of intimacy, dignity, and resistance.

Pile of censored letters

THE LETTERS

> Hover over the archive to reveal censored fragments.
READ FULL ARCHIVE _

THE VOICES

KASIA

Sentenced for protesting. Survives through drawing.

VITOLD

50 years old. Holding onto moments of freedom through photographs.

THE FATHER

Hiding from surveillance to avoid separation from his daughter.

THE INVESTIGATOR

Fled the system. Facing interrogations and exile in Poland.

MEET THE PROTAGONISTS _
DOCUMENTARY

THE CREATORS

Creator Photo

ANDREI KUTSILA

DIRECTOR & WRITER

Belarusian documentary filmmaker based in Poland. Forced to leave Belarus after the 2020 protests. Recipient of IDFA Award for Best Mid-Length Documentary.

NEWS