As before, only Belarusian fiction and documentary, feature and short films were not supported by the state funding from Belarus or Russia are eligible for participation. For the purposes of the award,. Belarusian cinema is understood as films made by Belarusian directors or Belarusian directors with a completely or predominantly Belarusian film crew, both in Belarus and abroad.
Given the context in which Belarusian directors often redirect their efforts to the alternative media forms, as well as the large number of submitted works of this kind in the previous season of the award, Red Heather decided to create a separate Best Documentary Report category for documentary works in TV and YouTube formats. The jury members will be able to choose if the would like to evaluate this category as well.
“We are writing the history of Belarusian cinema, which, in adverse conditions, continues to reflect, together with its viewers, on their common reality and show the real Belarus to the world,” say the founders of Red Heather. – It is important for us that filmmakers realize how amazing a job they are doing: the fact that they are preserving Belarus and Belarusians in the art of cinema, while national identity is undergoing the brutal pressure, is difficult to overestimate. In the flood of bad news and hardship, let Red Heather be one of the good building blocks that let the filmmakers see the true value of their own work.”
Participation in the Red Heather can be anonymous. The winners of the award’s third season will be announced in February 2026.
