For the first time in modern history Belarus has put out its picture for the “Oscar” in the category “Best Foreign Film”.
The news came on June 30 during the world premiere of the film by Darya Zhuk called “Crystal Swan” at the Film Festival in Karlovy Vary.
The story takes place in the 90s in Belarus. A young girl wants to go to America, but makes a mistake in the application for a visa. Now she has to spend a week in a small industrial town, so as not to lose the chance to have her “American dream.” The film shows the panorama of the life in the 90’s: youth underground parties, spontaneous markets, young people’s dreams of emigration and the life in the never changing province.
Filming took place in Belarus. The picture was created as the joint production of the film companies of Belarus, the USA, Germany and Russia. An international film crew worked on the film, with main characters played by Russian actors Alina Nasibullina and Ivan Mulin, as well as actress of the Yanka Kupala theter Svyatlana Anikei and others.
“Crystal Swan” was presented at international festivals in New York (USA), Cottbus (Germany) and Tallinn (Estonia). The work by Darya Zhuk won a prize for the best film project in Estonia.
Director Darya Zhuk was born in Minsk, she studied and is currently living in the USA. She graduated from Harvard and Columbia University, worked at the HBO channel, made several short films that became participants and prize-winners of international film festivals.
Darya Zhuk. Photo – facebook.com/darya1
The release of the film “Crystal Swan” in Belarus is set for August 30.
belsat.eu, TUT.by
