Belarusian film critics’ award Red Heather Беларуская прэмія кінакрытыкаў «Чырвоны верас» (hereiafter – the Award) is meant to biennially celebrate the most outstanding achievements of Belarusian cinema. The winners are determined in thirteen nominations by voting of the jury, which includes film critics, journalists, experts, researchers, and bloggers.

The founders of the Award were a group of film critics headed by Irena Katsialovich and Taras Tarnalitski. They also make up the Organizing Committee of the Award.

2.1. The responsibilities of the Award’s Organizing Committee include:

– defining the concept and terms of the Award;

– collecting the entries by filmmakers;

– assembling the Award Jury from Belarusian film critics, journalists, experts, researchers, bloggers;

– counting the Award Jury votes;

– determinating the long and short lists of nominee;

– announcing the winners;

– presentating the awards to their winners (at the official award ceremony – if specified by the Organizing Committee).

The Jury.

The Jury includes:

– by default – the founders of the Award;

– via invitation – film critics, journalists, experts, researchers, and bloggers, including members of International Federation of Film Critics FIPRESCI, who carry out who carry out their professional activities in the field of cinema – either in Belarus, or abroad.

The Jury is selected for one season of the Award.

3.1. Taking into account the deteriorating conditions for professional activities in Belarus over the past three years*, in selecting the Jury members the Award Organizing Committee invites representatives of the film critic community, who have been carrying out their professional activities in the form of regular publications, public events, lectures, podcasts and research about cinema at some point during the last three years, not just the previous year. We also welcome those who suffered from repressions and/or were forced to leave Belarus.

* The supression of venues and media platforms in 2020–2023, condemning numerous Belarusian mass media as “extremist”, shutting down independent galleries and cultural centers where film critics and film experts could popularize Belarusian cinema; the existence of black lists which effectively force people out of their chosen profession; limiting the freedom of speech through censorship – these and other circumstances significantly undermined the infrastructure of both Belarusian cinema and Belarusian film criticism.

3.2. The Jury Award responsibilities include:

– viewing the films from the long list within the deadlines determined by the Award;

– grading the films with points (from 1 to 5), and/or putting forward two nominees depending on the category, within the deadlines determined by the Award.

Members of the Jury can suggest films or filmmakers for the Special Mention Award. The decision to give or not to give this award is reached by voting of the Award Organizing Committee.

Members of the Jury can write various texts about the films nominated for the Award, about the longlist in general, and about the Award itself.

The Participants of the Award.

Short and feature-length fiction, documentary films are eligible for the award, provided they were released in 2021 or 2022, either in Belarus or abroad, or online.

The Award defines Belarusian cinema as films created by Belarusian directors with mostly or completely Belarusian film crew, either in Belarus, or abroad.

The Award defines identifies directors as Belarusian based on their citizenship, ethnicity, or self-identification. They could be working either in Belarus, or abroad.

The Award defined the release as a public screening of a movie at a film festival, or during theatrical release, or at an art venue, as well as online, excluding private screenings.

The film that wasn’t screened publicly, but was created at any time from  January 1, 2021 up to December 31, 2022 can also be eligible for the Award.

The Organizing Committee makes up the long list only out of the films that were deemed eligible for the Award. The Award is under no obligation to explain why a certain film was not included in the long or the short list, or to inform the participants about the particular points awarded or votes cast by the jury. The Organizing Committee has the right to withdraw the film from the competition after it has been included in the long list.

4.2. Films created wholly or in part with the help of the state funds of the regimes of Belarus or Russia are not eligible for the second edition of the Award.

4.3.Entries for the second edition of the Award can be submitted from September 14 to October 14, 2023.

4.4. Only the copyright holders of the film or their authorized representatives can submit an entry for the Award through the online form on the Award website.

The entries can be submitted 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.

5.1. Copyright holders or persons authorized by them may submit one or more films for one or several nominations..

Screener links for the films submitted for the Award are used exclusively for personal viewing by members of the Award Jury.

The winners of the Award are determined by counting the points or votes, depending on the nomination, from the members of the Jury.

The film that gains the most points or votes depending on the nomination, becomes the Winner in its category.

The jury works from November 1, 2023 to January 5, 2024.

The results of the Red Heather'24 Award will be announced in February, 2024. Award winners are going to be posted on the Award website.

8.1. The Award winners will receive certificates and awards (if prescribed by the Organizing Committee) at the official award ceremony (if prescribed by the Organizing Committee).

Issues of safety and security.

The Organizing Committee of the Award reserves the right not to publish the names of the members of the Jury, the names of the nominees or nominated films, as well as the Winners, if this is required by safety considerations..

The provisions of these Rules andRegulations may be supplemented and/or changed at any time with the subsequent publication on the official website of the Award by the decision of its Organizing Committee.

If the Award cannot be held as planned due to act of providence, including technical failures or global circumstances beyond the control of the Organizing Committee, the Organizers reserve the right to postpone the event and change its terms and conditions at their own discretion..