Was Kira Muratava’s film taken away from “Listapad” because of Lukashenka appearing in some shots?
A Kira Muratava’s film “Two in One” has been taken away from the festival “Listapad” according to the order of the Ministry of Culture. The Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka appears in the film for 30 seconds: he congratulates the Belarusian people on the New Year. The film’s characters are watching TV and the personage of Bahdan Stupka (a famous Ukrainian actor) says: “H-h-handsome man!” That’s it. A Belarusian film critic Maxim Zhbankou started laughing when we told him the film had been taken away. The words “It has happened: “the father” appears in a film. It’s not a Belarusian film though” belong to him. Some sources informed ERB that Kira Kuratava’s film was reconsidered and taken away because of those words.
The film critic calls “Two in One” a regular surrealistic film by Muratava.
Maksіm Zhbankou: “It is a regular Miratava’s surrealistic film. Its structure resembles her “Three stories” but there are only two stories in it. There are two novels with common characters. The first one takes place in a theatre. It turns out that one of the actors hanged himself in the costume of a duke. The other novel is by Renata Litvinava’s script – it is a New Year phantasmagoria for three people. The adult daughter of an elderly erotomaniac invites her friend to their house to satisfy her father who thinks that she is the woman of his life. So it is a normal absurd farce by Muratava. It is not a break through and it is not bad. However, I am sure that Muratava’s film could have been one of the best at the festival”.
The organizers of the festival are happy because they have not managed to phone Muratava and thus they did not have to make excuses. They do not have to explain anything because “Two in One” has been crossed out from the programme of the festival.
“A character says “H-h-handsome man!” It is a commonplace phrase. They decided that it insulted the President or of the Republic of Belarus… So they took it way from “Listapad” last week. There was a commotion in the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture. They noticed nothing seditious when they were watching it. And now such articles are appearing on the Internet… We are shocked, we tried to defend the film but it did not help”.
Kira Muratava’s amateurs will be able to see the DVD version of the film. Thanks God its distribution has not been forbidden.
Maxim Zhbankou compares the attitude to the President here and in Russia.
Maxim Zhbankou: “It is very strange because the leader of the state only appears there for 30 seconds in an absolutely neutral episode – as a figure on the screen. He congratulates people on the New Year. The record of 2005 was used. You can even see the icon of “STV” there. Why is nobody afraid when Putin is shown? Russians could have forbidden the film for some reason too. But it does not embarrass them. Our habit of considering cultural phenomena as approved and unapproved, allowed and forbidden appears here. Sadly, the desire to be overcautious is often caused by the lack of knowledge of the subject, it substitutes a qualified opinion”.
However, the administration of the festival that crossed out Muratava’s film say that the decision is official even though they are afraid of journalists.
Valyantsіna Stsyapanava: “There will be no Kira Muratava’s film. But we have a lot of other films to present… We have substituted it with a Korean film “Mysterious light”.
The film critic calls “Two in One” a regular surrealistic film by Muratava.
Maksіm Zhbankou: “It is a regular Miratava’s surrealistic film. Its structure resembles her “Three stories” but there are only two stories in it. There are two novels with common characters. The first one takes place in a theatre. It turns out that one of the actors hanged himself in the costume of a duke. The other novel is by Renata Litvinava’s script – it is a New Year phantasmagoria for three people. The adult daughter of an elderly erotomaniac invites her friend to their house to satisfy her father who thinks that she is the woman of his life. So it is a normal absurd farce by Muratava. It is not a break through and it is not bad. However, I am sure that Muratava’s film could have been one of the best at the festival”.
The organizers of the festival are happy because they have not managed to phone Muratava and thus they did not have to make excuses. They do not have to explain anything because “Two in One” has been crossed out from the programme of the festival.
“A character says “H-h-handsome man!” It is a commonplace phrase. They decided that it insulted the President or of the Republic of Belarus… So they took it way from “Listapad” last week. There was a commotion in the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture. They noticed nothing seditious when they were watching it. And now such articles are appearing on the Internet… We are shocked, we tried to defend the film but it did not help”.
Kira Muratava’s amateurs will be able to see the DVD version of the film. Thanks God its distribution has not been forbidden.
Maxim Zhbankou compares the attitude to the President here and in Russia.
Maxim Zhbankou: “It is very strange because the leader of the state only appears there for 30 seconds in an absolutely neutral episode – as a figure on the screen. He congratulates people on the New Year. The record of 2005 was used. You can even see the icon of “STV” there. Why is nobody afraid when Putin is shown? Russians could have forbidden the film for some reason too. But it does not embarrass them. Our habit of considering cultural phenomena as approved and unapproved, allowed and forbidden appears here. Sadly, the desire to be overcautious is often caused by the lack of knowledge of the subject, it substitutes a qualified opinion”.
However, the administration of the festival that crossed out Muratava’s film say that the decision is official even though they are afraid of journalists.
Valyantsіna Stsyapanava: “There will be no Kira Muratava’s film. But we have a lot of other films to present… We have substituted it with a Korean film “Mysterious light”.
