The awards ceremony of the Belarusian Film Critics Award ’Red Heather’ will take place on February 17, 2024 at 7:00 PM during this year’s 74th Berlin International Film Festival at the European Film Market (EFM). The ’Red Heather’ award celebrates the achievements of independent Belarusian cinema which after 2020 exits either underground or in exile.  

The best Belarusian films of 2021 and 2022 will be celebrated at the ’Red Heather’ Film Critics Award event where prominent Belarusian/international presenters hand out the awards to the respective winners. The award show location: Gropius Bau cinema at the EFM, followed by a reception.

"We are very proud and think it’s a great achievement that during the humanitarian crisis in our country, Belarusian cinema is not lost, but, on the contrary, finds its platform at established international festivals, which is where it truly belongs," say co-founders of the ’Red Heather’ Film Critics Award, Irena Katsialovich and Taras Tarnalitski. "We hope that the award and the ceremony will become an additional inspiration and motivation for Belarusian filmmakers to continue their important work."

The ’Red Heather’ Film Critics Awards will be presented in the following categories: Best Fiction Feature Film, Best Fiction Short Film, Best Documentary Feature Film, Best Documentary Short Film, Best Animated Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Script, Best Production Design, Best Sound Design, Discovery of the Year.

The winners were chosen by a jury of 16 Belarusian film critics, film journalists and film researchers. The nominees list for the ’Red Heather’ Film Critics Award included 70 documentaries, feature and short films as well as animated films.

This year’s nominees are: https://redheatheraward.com/en/company/karotki-spis

Best Documentary Feature Film

1. Mara (Sasha Kulak)
2. We Did Not Know Each Other Until This Summer (Volha Abramchyk)
3. Courage (Aliaksei Paluyan)

Best Documentary Short Film

1. Anastasia's Diary (Maxim Bujnicki)
2. Belarusian Youth (Kseniya Halubovich) 
3. Handbook (Paval Mazhar)

Best Fiction Feature Film

1. A Kid's Flick (Mikita Lauretski)
2. Summer’89 (Uladzimir Kazlou)
3. A Date in Minsk (Mikita Lauretski)

Best Fiction Short film

1. Fostering (Andrei Kashperski)
2. Trash Head (Jury Siamashka)
3. Live (Mara Tamkovich)

Best Animated Film

1. Dinner with Turkey (Hleb Kuftsieryn)
2. The Primitives (Henadz Buto)
3. Shirey Mara (Nata Karneyeva)

Best Director

1. Anonimous director
2. Sasha Kulak for Mara
3. Mikita Lauretski for A Date in Minsk

Best Actor

1. Mikita Lauretski for his movies
2. Andrei Novik for Fostering
3. Anonimous actor

Best Actress

1. Lyanka Gryu for Soyka
2. Aliaksandra Vaitsekhovic for Live
3. Volha Kavaliova for A Kid's Flick and A Date in Minsk

Best Cinematography

1. Tanya Haurylchyk and Jesse Mazuch for Courage
2. Yulia Shatun for A Date in Minsk
3. Sasha Kulak for Mara

Best Script

1. Uladzimir Kazlou for Summer’89
2. Andrei Kashperski and Mikhail Zui for Fostering
3. Mara Tamkovich for Live

Best Production Design

1. Jury Siamashka for Trash Head
2. Dymna Vyderka for Mara
3. Valentina Caniglia for Soyka

Best Sound Design

1. Volha Podhayskaya and anonymous sound designer for Voices. Where Is My Land
2. Jury Siamashka for Trash Head
3. Henadz Buto for Too Big Drawing

Discovery Of The Year

1. Anonymous director
2. Paval Mazhar
3. Jury Siamashka

The first edition of the ’Red Heather’ Film Critics Award took place in 2021-2022 – its establishment was caused by the brutal suppression of independent culture in Belarus, which the Lukashenka regime began in retaliation to mass protests. Belarusian film critics then decided to create an award that would become a guide to Belarusian cinema, and would also compensate for the loss of independent movie theaters by supporting the efforts of Belarusian filmmakers.

The Belarusian Film Critics Award is organized by a group of Belarusian film critics with the support of The German Marshall Fund, the Goethe-Institut in Exile and the Trzy Trąby Fund. 

Other Belarusian events at the EFM 2024:

In the EFM Conference Lounge on February 16, 2024 at 18:00/6:00 PM Belarusian directors will present eight feature, documentary and animated film projects. This pitching event is organized by the Belarusian Independent Film Academy (BIFA) which was launched at the EFM at last year’s Berlinale.

The BIFA strives to expand the recognition of Belarusian professionals in the international film industry and to showcase their uniqueness to potential partners. The projects for pitching were selected by the Film Academy from more than 40 applications; these are projects at various stages of production – from script to finished film, diverse both in terms of genres and topics.