LIVE
Directed by Mara Tamkovich
Produced by Filip Marczewski & Katarzyna Madaj Kozłowska
Poland | Belarusian | 13' | Drama
A peaceful demonstration in Minsk is brutally put down by the police. Two female journalists from an independent Belarusian TV station are the only ones broadcasting the events live. When they are tracked down by a police drone, they face a dramatic choice. A drama inspired by the true story of Katerina Bakhvalova and Daria Chultsova from BELSAT TV.
As I was watching LIVE one word immediately came to mind: harrowing. From the very beginning of the film there is a high-wire sense of tension as a group of broadcasters cover riots in Belarus, slowly being tracked down by the police. Director Mara Tamkovich commands each moment with authority, showing in real time the events with painful clarity. Every performance is auspicious in its gravity and palpable in its drama; the film is intensely human in its celebration of civic duty we have for each other. The film is based on true events in Belarus and finds a place of continuing relevance in our world today. A must-watch film of the festival.
-Christopher Francis, Associate Programmer