Myths
This is the story of Sasha and Lydia, two teenagers who live in two small Belarusian village not far from Chernobyl, where a nuclear catastrophe occurred. They did not witness the Disaster, yet they live in a new era, that of post-Chernobyl. They grew up near the Exclusion Zone - one could say it even raised them to live in perfect harmony with a truly unique and mysterious world, full of life yet death, distorted in time. Nonetheless, these two have chosen different paths – not seeing any means of escape, Sasha decided to commit suicide, while Lydia tries to continue her life, aiming to understand the myth that led Sacha, her boyfriend, to a dead-end.
I Made a Mistake Coming Here
It is the summer of 2020 in Belarus, protests against the regime have been ongoing and violently repressed. Miles away, in Turkey, countless ads in Turkish, Kurdish and Farsi have appeared on social media and billboards, promoting Belarus as the easy gate to Europe to the thousands of refugees stuck in the camps. Far from a philanthropic desire, the Belarusian manoeuvre is pure cynicism: to play on Europe’s greatest xenophobic fear, in order to take revenge for the restrictions imposed on Belarus.
For weeks, refugees disembark at Minsk airport, but like A. and his family, they are slowly faced with the reality of the large-scale humanitarian scam led by Lukashenko.
A., 47, is a former baker from Mosoul. With his wife and their three children, they have been in Minsk for a few months now. The older, 19, spends her time on social media following her favourite influencers and texting with her childhood friends. Her younger brother, 16, wishes to become a game designer and the youngest, 6, has an autistic disorder and looks at the world with intense curiosity.
They have been trying for many years now to reach Europe and are now stuck in Belarus, and wish to try and cross the border again. As A.’s mother passes away, he has to come to terms with never being able to honor her grave. Meanwhile political repression starts to make things more difficult for volunteers. Volunteers, their friend, have to flee to Lithuania leaving their family. Kseniya, the director, exiled in Poland, wants to go to Mosoul to help him heal his wounds. When A. manages to get an interview with foreign officials, uncertainty remains: will he be able to cross the border?
For weeks, refugees disembark at Minsk airport, but like A. and his family, they are slowly faced with the reality of the large-scale humanitarian scam led by Lukashenko.
A., 47, is a former baker from Mosoul. With his wife and their three children, they have been in Minsk for a few months now. The older, 19, spends her time on social media following her favourite influencers and texting with her childhood friends. Her younger brother, 16, wishes to become a game designer and the youngest, 6, has an autistic disorder and looks at the world with intense curiosity.
They have been trying for many years now to reach Europe and are now stuck in Belarus, and wish to try and cross the border again. As A.’s mother passes away, he has to come to terms with never being able to honor her grave. Meanwhile political repression starts to make things more difficult for volunteers. Volunteers, their friend, have to flee to Lithuania leaving their family. Kseniya, the director, exiled in Poland, wants to go to Mosoul to help him heal his wounds. When A. manages to get an interview with foreign officials, uncertainty remains: will he be able to cross the border?
nava mama
Denis (15) moves like an apparition through the village he
fled, confronting past abuse with tenderness and
solidarity.
fled, confronting past abuse with tenderness and
solidarity.