The Red Heather film award revealed its winners in Berlin

The second season's winners were named at the award ceremony of the Belarusian Film Critics Award Red Heather in Berlin.  The ceremony was held on February 17 at Gropius Bau Cinema at the European Film Market of the Berlin International Film Festival.

The best Belarusian films and filmmakers of 2021 and 2022 are:

Best Documentary Feature Film

• Mara by Sasha Kulak 
• Courage by Aliaksei Paluyan

Best Documentary Short Film

• Belarusian Youth by Kseniya Halubovich

Best Fiction Feature Film 

• A Date in Minsk by Mikita Lauretski

Best Fiction Short Film 

• Trash Head by Yury Siamashka
• Handbook by Paval Mazhar
   

Best Animated Film

• Shirey Mara by Nata Karneyeva

Best Director 

• Mikita Lauretski for A Date in Minsk

Best Actor

• Andrei Novik for Fostering

Best Actress 

• Volha Kavaliova for A Date in Minsk and A Kid's Flick

Best Cinematography

• Tanya Haurylchyk and Jesse Mazuch for Courage
• Yulia Shatun for A Date in Minsk

Best Script

• Andrei Kashperski and Mikhail Zui for Fostering
• Uladzimir Kazlou for Summer’89
   

Best Production Design

• Yury Siamashka for Trash Head

Best Sound Design

• Volha Podhayskaya and anonymous sound designer for Voices. Where Is My Land
   

Discovery Of The Year

• Yury Siamashka

Special mentions for outstanding achievements that change the history of Belarusian cinema and create historical records of the country were awarded to
 

• Mara Tamkovich 
  For the masterful depiction of the tragedy of the whole country through a short episode in a Minsk apartment in Liv 
• Collective Witness
  For the numerous testimonies – amateur and professional, accidental and intentional, in writing, video or any other medium – of events after the 2020 presidential election in Belarus, which make up the country’s historical records and become part of the nation’s culture
   

Director Volha Abramchyk became the keeper of the Special Mention to the collective witness, since she extensively worked with collective testimony for her film We Didn't Know Each Other Until This Summer.

The award’s prizes were created by the artist Aliaksandar Adamau, and the brick from which the precious branch of heather breaks through is meant to be a metaphor for Belarusian cinema. The awards were presented by members of the jury, winners of the previous Red Heather Ulada Siankova and Maksim Shved, Director of the European Film Market Dennis Ruh, Secretary General of FIPRESCI Klaus Eder, representatives of the partners of the award Marc-André Schmachtel from the Goethe-Institut in Exile and Alevtina Snihir from The German Marshall Fund of the United States. Fund for Belarus Democracy.

The jury of Red Heather'24 included 16 experts: the organizers of the Award Irena Kaciałovič and Taras Tarnalitski, as well as journalists, film critics, experts, bloggers and researchers Uliana Budzik, Maksim Zhbankou, Lina Miadzviedzieva, Igor Soukmanov, Hanna Yafremenka, Alena Soika, Almira Ousmanava. Some members of the jury wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons.

The second season of the Belarusian Film Critics Award was made possible due to the support of The German Marshall Fund and Goethe-Institut in Exile, as well as Trzy Trąby Fund.