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

Who, if not us? – The Fight for Democracy in Belarus 

In 2020, mass protests were held in Belarus against the 30-year dictatorship of Alexander Lukashenko. Women were often on the front lines. The film tracks 3 of them: Darya, Nina, and Tanya. If change is to come, we must become the change ourselves. This belief unites the heroines of the film who, though bullied by the authorities, stand up against the regime’s injustice on a daily basis. After her colleagues from the Viasna Human Rights Centre are arrested, Darya continues to work in exile. And in Belarus, 74-year-old Nina persists in her protest with quiet tenacity, reconciled to the threat of detention. Tanya, founder of the Watch Docs human rights festival, lives apart from her husband and son, who have fled to Ukraine. When Russia invades all of Ukraine, the Belarusian civil society will face a new struggle. Even as the noose gradually tightens around the last resisters in Belarus, hope for change never dies. (One World Human Rights Festival)

Director's Filmography (Selection)
Wer, wenn nicht wir? Der Kampf für Demokratie in Belarus (Who, if not us? – The Fight for Democracy in Belarus, 2023, doc) - Farben im Schnee – Belarussische Frauen im Widerstand (2021, mid-length doc) - Mined (2020, doc short) - Oskar Schlemmer – Mensch. Macher. Visionär (2019, doc short)
Arbeitswelten | Working Worlds 2024
Juliane Tutein
Germany 2023
color
77 minutes
Belarusian / Russian / Ukrainian
OV with English subtitles
Screenplay Juliane Tutein
Cinematography Siarhei Kavaliou, Feline Gerhardt, Juliane Tutein
Editing Maria Hemmleb
Sound/Sounddesign Sirius Kestel, Juliane Tutein, Cécilia Marchat, Andreas Mühlschlegel
Music Julian Erhardt, Mirko Büchele
Producer(s) Ümit Uludağ, Martin Roelly, Erik Winker
Production
CORSO Film- und Fernsehproduktion, SWR
World Sales
filmdelights
Additional Credits
Animation: Georg Krefeld
Austrian Premiere
World Premiere
DOK Leipzig 2023