GMF - The German Marshall Fund of the United States - Strengthening Transatlantic Cooperation

Released to mark the first anniversary of presidential elections in Belarus and the subsequent state terror against tens of thousands of peaceful protesters, “A Belarusian Dream” provides an emotional and sobering account of life in Europe’s last dictatorship.  Jointly supported by GMF and Warsaw-based Solidarity with Belarus, the film tells the story of a young man from Minsk who has lived most of his life under the autocratic rule of Alexander Lukashenko. Falsified elections, police brutality, and a severe economic crisis have prompted ever more Belarusians to doubt the most 'stable' post-Soviet country, and to demand long overdue political, social and economic change. Yet the regime is determined to hold on to power by all means. The film reveals shows how democratic activists and ordinary Belarusians continue to struggle to survive and maintain hope in a state that possesses near-total control.

“A Belarusian Dream” is the first independent documentary film to look at what has happened in Belarus since the December 2010 presidential elections. It was directed by Ekaterina Kibalchich, and it has already received critical acclaim after public presentations in several European countries.