The long-awaited Belarusian premiere of the film “II” took place at Pioner cinema on November 4. The film was awarded a special mention by the Free Spirit competition jury at the Warsaw film festival. Within MIFF Listapad the film is presented in the Special screenings program. The film crew of “II” presented the film and answered questions from the press and the audience after the screening.
The film II was created by the Centre for Visual and Performing Arts “ART Corporation” in collaboration with the UNESCO IITE. The film tells the story of three 16-year-old teenagers who face the prejudices and fears of peers and adults.
The presentation of the film was moderated by Nikolai Lavrenyuk, the film’s producer. Once the actors and creators of the film who were present at the premiere came up on stage, Tigran Yepoyan, UNESCO Regional Adviser on Education and Health, took the floor: “Thanks to the courage, determination and talent of the director and the screenwriter, thanks to the enthusiasm and openness of “ART Corporation”, thanks to your support and excellent actors, this film was created. When we saw the first film version, we were more than happy that the life of our children, their parents and teachers was shown so honestly, truthfully and frankly.”
After that, Angelika Krashevskaya, Director of the Center for Visual and Performing Arts “ART Corporation”, told about the work on the film: “Nothing in life happens by accident. All the challenges that come to us are not accidental either, because like calls to like. Probably, it was necessary for us to get this offer of cooperation. In our collaboration all the stars aligned because we are very similar in temperament to this creative group. I hope that there will be more such chances.”
In the next hour the audience watched the film “II” which was made in 6 days. Initially, a short film was planned, but, according to the director, it turned out to be a feature film, because at a certain point the creators decided not to restrain themselves. It became clear after 4 days of shooting that the film should be extended. At the end of the screening Vlada Senkova thanked “ART Corporation” for taking a step forward and extending the shooting.
During the discussion international experts commented on the film: Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki, UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus, Natalia Schasnovich, Secretary of the National Commission for UNESCO of the Republic of Belarus, Elena Kiryushina, the Regional Coordinator of UNAIDS Youth Programs, Olga Atroshchenko, the Deputy Representative of the UN Population Fund in Belarus and Gabriella Akimova, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Belarus. They thanked the team and stressed the relevance of the teenage problems shown in the film and their topics of concern.
After screening, Q&A took place, where the film crew answered questions from directors, film critics and viewers who also shared their emotions. The first viewers in their social networks noted that “where the film Above the sky stopped at the time, II moved on. Probably, now his is the most relevant domestic film for our society” (Pavel Kanash, PR-Manager); “I saw a very honest film about real life, about ourselves, about our medieval fears and impenetrable inner darkness” (Anastasia Pankratova, journalist), “This is probably the best feature film I have seen recently” (Andrey Kutilo, director).
The film II will be released on December 12. Look for publications dedicated to the film by the hashtag #ТолькоПапеНеГовори, and on the official pages of II(on the website of “ART Corporation” and in social networks @iifilm2019).
Photographer: Pavel Krichko.