Beyond the Cemetary

The events revolves around the Belarusian holiday Radunitsa. It is a traditional holiday of the Eastern Slavs, where it is customary to come to the cemetery, clean up graves, decorate them and also to have a feast in the cemetery. Belarus is the only country of the former USSR where it is the official state holiday. The family gathers in a village where all their relatives are buried. Often Radunitsa is the only day in the year when the whole family is together. They are trying to help the grandmother with chores, they don’t recognize old acquaintances, go to the cemetery to clean up the graves, make feasts, laugh and sad, talk about death and life. This story is not only about the Holiday, the affinity of life and death, joy and tears, about the connection and separation of generations.