Wer, wenn nicht wir? Der Kampf für Demokratie in Belarus

Filmstill Who, If Not Us? The Fight for Democracy in Belarus

Who, If Not Us? The Fight for Democracy in Belarus

Wer, wenn nicht wir? Der Kampf für Demokratie in Belarus
Juliane Tutein
Panorama: Central and Eastern Europe
Documentary Film
Germany
2023
77 minutes
Belarusian,
Russian,
Ukrainian
Subtitles: 
English
World premiere

In 2020, the biggest protests against the government to date formed in Belarus. The protesters were met with violence and restrictions, many of them were given draconian prison sentences. A dangerous climate that sought to nip political activism in the bud took hold. For “Who, If Not Us? The Fight for Democracy in Belarus,” Juliane Tutein filmed and researched for three years in a country that had not seen a change of elites with its supposed independence in 1991. She discovered mainly women at the forefront of the courageous protesters. This portrait is dedicated to three of them: Nina Baginskaya, in her mid-seventies and active in the fight for an open Belarus since the 1980s, Tatsyana “Tanya” Hatsura-Yavorskaya, founder of the human rights film festival “Watch Docs”, and Darya Rublevskaya, the youngest at 22, who works for the “Viasna” human rights centre founded by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski. Tutein develops a polyphonic collage in which Minsk’s intimidating architecture has the same haunting impact as Hatsura-Yavorskaya’s escape into a Ukraine attacked by Russia.


Carolin Weidner

Contains mentions of physical violence, torture, murder

Photosensitivity warning: Contains flashes of light that may trigger seizures for people with visual sensitivities.

Trailer DOK Leipzig Logo

Screenings & Tickets DOK Leipzig Logo

10.10.
#264
Passage Kinos Wintergarten
Margarethe 89 + Wer, wenn nicht wir? Der Kampf für Demokratie in Belarus
During Checkout you can apply discounts, your accreditation or season passes
10.10.2023
Passage Kinos Wintergarten
#264
Margarethe 89 + Wer, wenn nicht wir? Der Kampf für Demokratie in Belarus
During Checkout you can apply discounts, your accreditation or season passes
Calendar
13.10.
#513
CineStar 2
Margarethe 89 + Wer, wenn nicht wir? Der Kampf für Demokratie in Belarus
During Checkout you can apply discounts, your accreditation or season passes
13.10.2023
CineStar 2
#513
Margarethe 89 + Wer, wenn nicht wir? Der Kampf für Demokratie in Belarus
During Checkout you can apply discounts, your accreditation or season passes
Calendar
14.10.
#622
CineStar 4
Margarethe 89 + Wer, wenn nicht wir? Der Kampf für Demokratie in Belarus
During Checkout you can apply discounts, your accreditation or season passes
14.10.2023
CineStar 4
#622
Margarethe 89 + Wer, wenn nicht wir? Der Kampf für Demokratie in Belarus
During Checkout you can apply discounts, your accreditation or season passes
Calendar

Credits DOK Leipzig Logo

Director
Juliane Tutein
Script
Juliane Tutein
Cinematographer
Siarhei Kavaliou, Feline Gerhardt, Juliane Tutein
Editor
Maria Hemmleb
Producer
Ümit Uludağ, Martin Roelly, Erik Winker
Sound
Cécilia Marchat, Sirius Kestel, Juliane Tutein
Sound Design
Andreas Mühlschlegel
Score
Julian Erhardt, Mirko Büchele
Animation
Georg Krefeld

Contact DOK Leipzig Logo

Main Contact
Juliane Tutein
juliane.tutein@gmail.com
Nominated for MDR Film Prize, Goethe-Institut Documentary Film Prize, Leipziger Ring