A Lesson of Belarusian

Dir. Mirosław Dembiński, Everest Film Studio, 2006 | 51′, Poland

The film project was presented at the Baltic Sea Docs 2005.

18-year-old Franak Viačorka, together with his classmates – students at the Belarusian Humanities Lyceum, a school founded by Belarusian pro-democracy activists – prepare for the 2006 presidential elections in Belarus. The youths record music with lyrics by activists, organize a concert dedicated to the opposition, establish an underground newspaper and interview the democratic opposition candidate, Alaksandar Milinkyevič. They don’t even stop after the arrest of Franak’s father and the constant threats to their own freedom. Even though the opposition doesn’t stand a chance in the fight against Lukashenko’s corrupt system, Franak and his peers realize that fearlessness is a victory in of itself.

Franak Viačorka is currently advisor to Belarusian democracy leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. His father, Vincuk Viačorka, a linguist, politician and former leader of the Belarusian National Front, is one of the founders of the Belarusian Humanities Lyceum.

In Belarusian and Polish with Latvian or English subtitles.