How Belarusian Filmmakers Are Opening Themselves to the World
Stories of Challenges and Successes
Despite being far from home, facing the challenges of emigration, a lack of funding, and countless other obstacles, Belarusian cinema is still alive — filmmakers continue to start new projects and travel to international film festivals. How do they manage to do it? During the discussion, we will talk about their successes and achievements, which, of course, would not have been possible without hard work, learning from their own mistakes, courage, and a bit of luck.
The discussion’s guests will be: Volia Chajkouskaya, whose documentary “Not Made for Politics” recently premiered at PÖFF in Tallinn; Mara Tamkovich, who tells the world the story of Belarusian journalists in her film “Under the Grey Sky”; and Siarhei Kavaliou, who this year took part in the Berlinale as the cinematographer of “The Swan Song of Fyodor Ozerov”, and is now developing his own archival project “Kalyska”, collecting Belarusian home videos from the 1990s.
About the event
NORDICS EXPLAIN°
Claes Ekman – private detective and Chairman of Walhallen ED and Bureau Ekman. Graduated cum laude from the University of Göteborg, specializing in international business and commercial law. In 1984, he received a Marcus Wallenberg Fund scholarship for research on Swedish industrial ventures in China and Japan. Since 1986, Claes has served as Chairman or Director for companies across Sweden, Norway, England, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, China, and Romania. He has also been an active member of leading financial and business organizations, including the Financial Analysts' Federation (US). Trained as an air artillery aviator in Sweden, he later became a multi-engine/jet-rated pilot in the U.S.
Claes Ekman
Participants
Nils Toftenow is a Swedish documentary filmmaker and member of the creative collective Tally ho, known in Sweden for their warm, humorous productions with a serious undertone. Tally-ho founded by the trio Nils Toftenow, Olle Toftenow, and Mathias Rosberg. Together, they have directed and produced award-winning Swedish documentary series, including Klippans Karaokecup (nominated for the Kristallen, Sweden’s equivalent of an Emmy, in 2015), Madame Deema’s Wonderful Journey (Kristallen winner in 2018), and Rostiga Roadtrips (Kristallen winner in 2024). Zlatan’s Nose marks their debut feature documentary.
Nils Toftenow
Moderator
Kinga Kozaczka is the founder of Szwedzki Stół Filmowy, an initiative that has been promoting Scandinavian culture in Poland for many years, with a particular focus on contemporary cinema. She has organized numerous film festivals and screenings dedicated to the cinema of the Nordic countries, including events in Kraków and Warsaw—most notably a comprehensive Scandinavian film festival held at the Muranów Cinema in Warsaw in 2022. She was also the initiator of Polish film screenings in Gothenburg and Arvika. Actively involved in discussions and events devoted to Nordic cinema, she collaborates with distributors and film festivals across Europe.