Bright emotions, well-deserved awards: what surprised the closing ceremony of the XXXII MIFF Listapad

Solemn, colorful, surprising to the depths of the soul: for everyone this creative forum is their own. XXXII Minsk International Film Festival "Listapad" today, November 6, officially ended. sb.by correspondents spoke with the guests of the evening.

Grand Prix "Gold Listapad" for the best feature film received the film directed by Igor Ugolnikov "Father Minai. Partisan legend". This is one of the main events of the forum. For the production of the picture, the national studio Belarusfilm and the Russian VoenFilm combined their efforts. The film is about the history of the Hero of the Soviet Union, the Belarusian partisan Minai Shmyrev. The director of the picture is People’s Artist of Russia Igor Ugolnikov, who participated in the creation of the bestsellers “In August 44” and “Brest Fortress”. Father Minai in the new film was played by People’s Artist of Russia Alexei Kravchenko, who played the main role in the legendary military drama “Go and See” by Elem Klimov from the script of the Belarusian writer Ales Adamovich.

- She has been associated with the film for more than three years: at the request of the director, she participated in the selection of Belarusian actors. The first viewers showed it at the opening of the film festival. I remember long standing ovations and shouts of “Bravo!” It was unforgettable. Now I read a huge number of reviews, including from young people, that the film is strong, sitting in the hall without stirring, even crying. The views of colleagues from Russia are also pleasant. Actress Ekaterina Klimova enthusiastically responded. This is nice, because a large Belarusian-Russian team worked on the picture.

- In general, the synergy of Belarusians and Russians, who worked for the common result, is invaluable. We were one organism. In 40 shifts, I don’t remember a single scandal or misunderstanding in the crew. For this atmosphere, it is worth separately thanking the director Igor Ugolnikov.

- We are so happy to have the honor of being in the film. For the first time in the movie we were husband and wife. Very professional team. We worked as a film family and were worried about each other. At the same time, they enjoyed what was happening, because they were under the watchful supervision and care of the director. They knew what to do, how to do it. There were no boundaries, no boundaries, only coherent, honest work. This is important for a decent result. I want to believe that the film will have a great screen fate.

The actress added:

- I compared the events on the set with my impressions of the stories of my grandmother, who is no longer with us, from war books, films. Some of the scenes were goosebumps, so much so that it took some time to recover. The Great Patriotic War destroyed the lives of many people, so everything connected with it causes strong emotions and a lively response.

Director of the film Natalia Navoenko believes:

- It is difficult to approach any topic when the hero is a documentary character. Being between historical truth and artistic imagery is very responsible. We had to recreate the factory where Minai Shmyrev worked, many other scenery, so that the film immersed in the atmosphere of the war years.

- In children's movies, it's hard for adults to find something that will catch their eye, because we see the world differently, but I tried to do that by looking at the pictures presented through the eyes of a child. The film festival left a pleasant aftertaste, a lot of emotions that will warm the heart for a long time.

The director from Myanmar Aung Myatu, who presented the film “That Child” at the film festival, received the prize of the President of the Republic of Belarus “For Humanism and Spirituality in Cinema”. The foreign guest has long recovered from overwhelming emotions:

- Thank you very much for the award and the honor to visit the Belarusian Film Festival. My film is about an ordinary family from Myanmar, which shows the relationship between father and daughter, reflects traditional values. In our country, it is not customary to share emotions, but I consider it important and broadcast it in my film work. It's my first time in Minsk. It was interesting what kind of city it was, I wanted to see the sights. Relations between Myanmar and Belarus can become stronger: I regard my film as one of the bridges for friendship between the two states.

- The film festival is getting bigger every year. Every time I come here, I feel awe. This is a festival of cinema, which has a place for talented films from different parts of the world. The jury did a great job evaluating everyone: it was important to choose the best work, not only in terms of technique, but also in terms of emotion. It's even more important. Cinema plays a huge role in our lives - delights, encourages, gives the desire to create. "Listapad" is special to me and everyone involved with cinema. I wish him to develop and move forward!