Courage

Synopsis

In the course of the presidential elections in Belarus in the summer of 2020, three actors from an under- ground theatre in Minsk get caught up in the maelstrom of mass protests. They are drawn to the wide streets of Minsk to protest vociferously for freedom of speech and the long-awaited change of power. But the people's voice is brutally crushed by the regime's security apparatus. Members of the theatre group and many other people get arrested. The country is on the brink of civil war. COURAGE accompanies the courageous and peaceful resistance of Maryna, Pavel and Denis before and during the protests. The film takes a very personal look at the events and thus provides a close and gripping insight into the lives of people in today's Belarus who are fighting for their freedom and the right to democracy.

Director Biography

Aliaksei Paluyan, a film director and writer, was born 1989 in Baranovichi in the Republic of Belarus. In 2012 he moved to Germany and studied film and television directing at the Kunsthochschule Kassel (Academy for the arts). He has become known to audiences as a director of fiction short films and documentaries that have been presented at festivals worldwide. With his unique artistic signature, Aliaksei Paluyan has achieved to transform highly personal stories from his homeland into themes of universal meaning and relevance. In 2019 his short fiction drama "Lake of Happiness" premiered in Clermont-Ferrand, won a numerous awards at international festivals, was a candidate for European Short Film at the 33rd European Film Awards in 2020 and also longlisted for the Oscars 2021. Aliaksei's documentary film debut "Courage" had its world premiere at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival.