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POZIRK+IT sector rebounds amid low base effect and geopolitical shifts
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Alaksandar Łukašenka, in his characteristic style, delivered a public dressing down to executives of the state-run film production company Biełaruśfilm on June 10, demanding a return on investment in the struggling film industry.
“So far, the return is not just zero—it’s below zero,” he said.
A major issue plaguing the industry is a lack of creativity, stifled by ideological oversight and government interference.
Fixated on discipline
The Belarusian film sector faces a host of structural problems: an inflexible command economy, chronic underinvestment, lack of advertising and a small, underdeveloped distribution network. Yet Łukašenka appears convinced that poor discipline is the core problem—and that stern words will suffice to fix it.
“Remember, you will not get extra cash. No one will give you money for a new team,” he told Biełaruśfilm CEO Dźmitryj Siamionaŭ, appointed on March 27. “If, led by the culture minister, you don’t put things in order here before September 1, you will face the toughest decisions. Don’t even hope we’ll just dismiss you.”
Wary of creative freedom, Łukašenka emphasized ideological conformity: “You have 320 people—you can produce whatever you want… this is your business. Most importantly, you must ensure ideologically correct [deliverables].”
He even implied he would prefer to step away from the film sector, citing international tensions. “Navigating these tensions takes a colossal effort from the president. So, relieve me from making movies,” he said.
Ideology of loyalty
During the meeting with Biełaruśfilm officials, Łukašenka quoted Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin: “Of all the arts, cinema is the most important for us.” He stressed that “no ideology is possible without movies.”
However, unlike the Bolsheviks, whose ideology mobilized the masses, Łukašenka lacks a coherent vision beyond professing loyalty to the Kremlin and demanding the same from his subjects.
Still, he has constructed a wide-reaching system of ideology officers who ensure compliance with state propaganda. Under their supervision, Biełaruśfilm produced На другом берегу (On the Other Bank) in 2023—an anti-Polish pseudohistorical film reflecting the regime’s hostility toward Warsaw.
The director, scriptwriter and nearly all lead actors were Russians. Belarusian participation included Culture Minister Rusłan Čarniecki, who played the role of a malevolent Polish investigator.
During the visit to Biełaruśfilm, Łukašenka warned Čarniecki: “You have no chance of working as before. The culture ministry must be on its toes.”
Čarniecki responded with an enthusiastic proposal: “First of all, the artistic level of films must be fundamentally raised and reach international distribution to break even. Yes, we will need help—but not financial assistance, since the government provides sufficient funds. As you said, we need administrative support.”
Administrative pressure can be used to compel students and public-sector employees to attend propaganda screenings, but it won’t secure awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Purges hit movie industry
The film industry has also suffered from political repression following the 2020 postelection protests. Dozens of talented actors, directors, and scriptwriters have fled the country. According to Belarusian PEN, nearly two hundred cultural figures were imprisoned in December.
Among those exiled are Nobel laureate Śviatłana Aleksijevič and acclaimed scriptwriter Andrej Kurejčyk, now teaching at Yale University.
The government’s crackdown on the Janka Kupała National Theater forced many prominent actors into exile. Čarniecki, however, supported Łukašenka in 2020 and was rewarded with promotion to culture minister.
Acknowledging the loss of talent on June 10, Čarniecki promised: “We will bring them back. We’re already working on it.”
Łukašenka gives CEO until September 1 to fix Biełaruśfilm or face “toughest decisions”
June 10, Pozirk. After inspecting Biełaruśfilm, Alaksandar Łukašenka gave the CEO until September to fix all problems that plague the state film production company. “Remember, you will not get extra cash. No-one will give you money for a new team. …
