Films > International Competition

Motherland

(Motherland)

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Screenings

Praha Bio Oko, Františka Křížka 460/15, Praha 7
Discussion
Hanna Badziaka, Director
Alex Mihalkovich, Director
Tickets
Praha Světozor Cinema – small hall, Vodičkova 41, Praha 1
Discussion
Aliaksandr Parshenkou, Human rights activist
Tickets
Praha Prague Municipal Library – small hall, Mariánské nám. 1, Praha 1
Tickets

About the film

“Everything is different. You’re in the army now,” a sergeant in the Belorussian army greets a newcomer to compulsory military service – under the command of an authoritarian regime where even the most minor form of protest carries harsh consequences.

When Svetlana sent her only son Sasha off to the army during peacetime, she never imagined his body would come back in a coffin. Now she is one of the mothers seeking a fair investigation into crimes in the Belorussian army. She comes up against a system that has consistently trampled on free will and human dignity for decades, turning individuals joining the army into obedient cogs in a violent machine for the purpose of protecting Lukashenko’s regime. Propaganda in the military supports violent crackdowns on peaceful anti-government protests; dissent is not tolerated. In contemporary Belarus, the rights of critics of the regime are being suppressed - as are the rights of those trained by brutal means to protect it.

Title

Motherland

Original Title

Motherland

Original Language

Belarusian, Russian

Subtitles

English, Czech

Premiéra

Czech premiere

Year of Production

2023

Country of Origin

Sweden, Ukraine, Norway

Length

90 min.

Tags

Children and Youth, Dictatorships, Europe

Hanna Badziaka
Director
Hanna Badziaka

2023 - Motherland (90')

Alex Mihalkovich
Director
Alex Mihalkovich

2018 My Granny From Mars 73’ 2016 White Sheet of Paper 11’ 2015 Red Ripper in Brussels 5’ 2009 Klapotski 17’

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Motherland