{"id":143280,"date":"2025-06-19T14:23:46","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T11:23:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/143280\/"},"modified":"2025-06-19T14:23:48","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T11:23:48","slug":"lights-camera-control-belarusian-states-struggle-with-cinema","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/143280\/","title":{"rendered":"Lights, camera, control: Belarusian state\u2019s struggle with cinema"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At one time, Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin called cinema \u201cthe most important of the arts.\u201d His Belarusian followers, now building what they call market socialism, have not forgotten that legacy. On June 10, Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka visited the Bie\u0142aru\u015bfilm studio to discuss ways to revive the national film industry.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\n Kastry\u010dnik cinema hall in Minsk\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (realt.onliner.by)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The conversation followed a familiar script: the government provides funding, so it demands results. But the cultural sphere operates by entirely different principles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Script always the same<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Politics and art in Belarus often follow predictable patterns. Meetings led by the country\u2019s leader\u2014whether they concern potatoes, tanks or cinema\u2014unfold like classical drama: setup, confrontation and resolution. And, as usual, the resolution is always about money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka criticized Bie\u0142aru\u015bfilm, the state-controlled film production company, for inefficiency and poor performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe government has created the conditions for film production, especially for Bie\u0142aru\u015bfilm, but the return so far is not just zero\u2014it\u2019s below zero,\u201d his press office quoted him as saying. \u201cNeither the state nor the viewer sees any results. There is nothing to watch! We’ve completely lost the family, youth and children\u2019s audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is this the case? The answer seems self-evident: because cinema, like all art, requires not just funding but freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exodus of talent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since 2020, hundreds\u2014perhaps thousands\u2014of cultural figures have fled Belarus. Some left under pressure, some to avoid prosecution and others simply because they could no longer live under an atmosphere of fear and censorship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among them are directors, screenwriters, actors and artists\u2014people who could have contributed to building that \u201cmost important of the arts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHere\u2019s a Rubel\u2014Bring Back Two\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHere\u2019s a rubel\u2014bring back two,\u201d \u0141uka\u0161enka said about spending on the film industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public money does not belong to officials\u2014it belongs to the people. The government\u2019s role should not be to control culture, but to allocate resources wisely and create an environment where creativity can flourish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Belarus, however, money is often wielded as a tool of coercion. Funding is given not to support creativity but to serve ideological purposes. Public interest and artistic merit are secondary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Underfunding and priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2025, Belarus plans to allocate nearly 290 million Belarusian rubels ($97 million at the June 18 exchange rate) to culture. Of that, 252 million will go to general culture and arts, and only 23 million rubels ($7.7 million) to the film industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is more than in 2021, when just 142 million rubels were budgeted for culture. Still, one must ask: is it enough?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By comparison, a single Hollywood blockbuster can easily exceed $100 million in production costs\u2014more than the entire Belarusian culture budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem is not only about market size. More critically, film production depends on freedom of expression. In Belarus, even with rising inflation, the increase in cultural funding is modest. When it comes to the competitiveness of Belarusian cinema\u2014or creative freedom\u2014that conversation barely exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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