The best Belarusian films and filmmakers of 2023 and 2024 are:
BEST FICTION FEATURE FILM
Under the Grey Sky by Mara Tamkovich
BEST FICTION SHORT FILM
Say Cheese by Kira Olshewski
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
Motherland by Hanna Badziaka and Alexander Mihalkovich
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
Holy Water by Andrei Kutsila
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Blood and Karaoke by Jury Siamashka
BEST DOCUMENTARY REPORT
No Filter: Siarhei Pukst by Aliaksandr Haradok and Kanaplev+Leydik
BEST DIRECTOR
Hanna Badziaka and Alexander Mihalkovich for Motherland
BEST ACTOR
Valentin Novopolskij for Under the Grey Sky
BEST ACTRESS
Aliaksandra Vaitsekhovich for Under the Grey Sky
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Siarhiej Kanaplianik for Motherland
BEST SCRIPT
Andrei Kashperski and Mikhail Zui for Processes
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Aliaksandr Adamau for Processes
BEST EDITING
Illia Bazhko for Processes
BEST SOUND DESIGN
Cross-cultural Musical Dialogue Project for The Magic Scissors
DISCOVERY OF THE YEAR
Anonymous
SPECIAL MENTIONS were awarded to
The creators of The Magic Scissors – for the diligent work of collecting, preserving and restoring the lost part of our heritage – the culture of Belarusian Jewry, and through that – for enriching and adding complexity to Belarusian culture as a whole;
To Belarusian political prisoners – In honor of the many political prisoners and their tragic lives, which do not allow directors to remain silent and move them to tell the world about the Belarusian present, as well our traumatic past.
The award continued the tradition of using the prizes created by the artist Aliaksandar Adamau, and the brick from which the branch of heather breaks through is meant to be a metaphor for Belarusian cinema. The awards were presented by the previous season’s winners, – composer and organist Volha Padhayskaya, camerawoman Tanya Haurylchyk, documentary director and journalist Kseniya Halubovich, director and screenwriter Aliaksei Paluyan, as well as artist Yana Shostak, writer Sviatlana Kurs, journalist and former political prisoner Iryna Slaunikava, jury member Maksim Zhbankou, and foreign colleagues, – German producer Peter Rommel, Polish casting director Piotr Bartuszek, patron and staunch supporter of Belarusian culture Maciej Radziwiłł, director, producer and Wajda School and Wajda Studio head Filip Marczewski, and Polish director Agnieszka Holland.
The jury of Red Heather'26 included 20 experts: the co-funders and organizers of the Award Irena Kaciałovič and Taras Tarnalitsky, as well as journalists, film critics, experts, bloggers and researchers Volha Isakava, Almira Ousmanava, Sasha Razor, Uliana Rubanava, Igor Soukmanov, Natallia Vavilonskaya, Hanna Yafremenka, Maksim Zhbankou. Some members of the jury remain anonymous for safety reasons.
The third season of the Belarusian Film Critics Award was made possible due to the support of Trzy Trąby Fund and The German Marshall Fund.
