Kalinovski Square (film)
Encyclopedia
Kalinovski Square is an award-winning 2007 documentary film
by Belarusian
filmmaker Yury Khashchavatski. The film takes a critical look at the re-election of Alexander Lukashenko
in March 2006, featuring especially the protests that occurred after the election was found to be fraudulent. The protests had their centre at October Square in downdown Minsk
, which was informally renamed on the occasion for Konstanty Kalinowski
.
Before its commercial release on DVD on 9 June 2009, the film was distributed under the title The Square.
Since the Belarussian authorities already persecuted director Yury Khashchavatski since his first movie An ordinary president (1996), all production was done underground.
and the naivety of simple people in the countryside, together with massive repression helped to defeat the Jeans Revolution
. The narrative style resembles that of Michael Moore
.
"for love of truth and freedom" at The International Documentary Film Festival CRONOGRAF, in Chişinău
, 15-19 May 2008.
It also won the Alpe Adria Cinema prize as the Best Documentary at the 19th Trieste Film Festival 2008. The prize was awarded for "the director’s ability to create evocative images and document reality as he sees it, from his passionate, if not at times sarcastic, perspective."
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by Belarusian
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
filmmaker Yury Khashchavatski. The film takes a critical look at the re-election of Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has been serving as the President of Belarus since 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm. Under Lukashenko's rule, Belarus has come to be viewed as a state whose conduct is out of line...
in March 2006, featuring especially the protests that occurred after the election was found to be fraudulent. The protests had their centre at October Square in downdown Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, which was informally renamed on the occasion for Konstanty Kalinowski
Konstanty Kalinowski
Wincenty Konstanty Kalinowski , also known under his Polish and Lithuanian names of Konstanty Kalinowski or and Kostas Kalinauskas; 1838 – March 24, 1864) was a writer, journalist, lawyer and revolutionary...
.
Before its commercial release on DVD on 9 June 2009, the film was distributed under the title The Square.
Since the Belarussian authorities already persecuted director Yury Khashchavatski since his first movie An ordinary president (1996), all production was done underground.
Content
The movie explores the question how it could be possible that 83 percent voted for Lukashenko, who has been referred to as "Europe's last dictator". Drawing on a lot of archive material, the movie shows the official propagandaPropaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
and the naivety of simple people in the countryside, together with massive repression helped to defeat the Jeans Revolution
Jeans Revolution
The Jeans Revolution was a term used by the democratic opposition in Belarus and their supporters in the West to describe their effort and aspirations as regarding democratic changes in Belarus at the presidential elections of 2006...
. The narrative style resembles that of Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
.
Awards
The film won the Award Ion VatamanuIon Vatamanu
Ion Vatamanu was a writer and politician from Moldova. He was born to Maria and Ion and had a PhD in chimistry...
"for love of truth and freedom" at The International Documentary Film Festival CRONOGRAF, in Chişinău
Chisinau
Chișinău is the capital and largest municipality of Moldova. It is also its main industrial and commercial centre and is located in the middle of the country, on the river Bîc...
, 15-19 May 2008.
It also won the Alpe Adria Cinema prize as the Best Documentary at the 19th Trieste Film Festival 2008. The prize was awarded for "the director’s ability to create evocative images and document reality as he sees it, from his passionate, if not at times sarcastic, perspective."