On Sept. 9, the world premiere of “Letters” (“Listy” / “Letters from the Silenced Country”), a documentary by Belarusian director Andrei Kutsila, will take place at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. The film, created in collaboration with filmmakers from Poland, Germany and Lithuania, tells the stories of Belarusians who have experienced imprisonment, repression and forced emigration.
This is a historic precedent for Belarusian cinema: “Letters” is the first documentary from independent Belarus to be shown in the official program of the Venice Film Festival.
A press screening was held this morning, while the official public premiere began at 2 p.m. at Astra 2, with another screening expected at Sala Corinto at 5:15 p.m.
What Is The Film About?
“Letters” (“Listy” / “Letters from the Silenced Country”) by renowned Belarusian filmmaker Andrei Kutsila is a 75-minute portrait of contemporary Belarus built around the personal stories of people subjected to repression, whose voices the regime is trying to silence.
Viewers meet a father hiding from surveillance to avoid arrest and separation from his daughter, as well as a former investigator who refused to work within the system, fled to Poland and, already in exile, faces repeated interrogations and a sense of hopelessness.
Another protagonist, a young student named Kasia, convicted for taking part in protests, survives imprisonment through drawing, using art to preserve her dignity. The story of 50-year-old Vitold unfolds through photographs sent to him by a friend from home — carefully selected fragments of the world beyond prison walls that give him moments of freedom.
Presenting the film, Andrei Kutsila emphasizes that he knows the stories of prisoners firsthand:
“I was forced to leave Belarus after protests against election fraud were brutally suppressed. I know the stories of those imprisoned by the regime. My sister was one of them — she was arrested, and she still cannot forget the screams of people who were tortured every night. This is not a story of the past. Repression continues. Almost every day, someone is arrested and someone is sentenced — often without public attention. Through my film, I want to give a voice to those who cannot speak — Belarusians who have been forced into silence.”
How Was The Film Made?
The director worked on the project for five years. The challenge in realizing the idea was not only the safety of the protagonists but also that of the crew.
One detail of the film is that alongside the name of renowned Polish cinematographer Wojciech Węglarz, “Anonymous” is officially listed in the credits. Some of the footage and observational shots were made inside Belarus by people whose names cannot be disclosed for security reasons.
To show what cannot be filmed inside Belarusian pre-trial detention centers and penal colonies, the team used animation, created by Polish artist Natalia Spychała. The animation was based on real sketches, drafts and drawings that released political prisoners managed to smuggle out or send to the outside world in letters.
When discussing his work, Andrei Kutsila uses his own term, “Cinema collider.” He describes his editing technique as a “collision” of completely different formats: private observational footage, home archives, animation, prison notes and abstract soundscapes. This makes it possible to create the effect of an “inner monologue” of a country rather than simply a dry chronicle.
The international production of “Letters” was provided by producers Mirosław Dembiński (DocEdu Foundation), Giedré Žickytė (Moonmakers), as well as Gregor Streiber and Friedemann Hottenbacher (inselfilm produktion). The film features Belarusian, Russian and Polish.
Kutsila is one of the Belarusian documentary filmmakers with a strong reputation among leading European foundations. After receiving an award at IDFA in Amsterdam in 2018, the world’s leading documentary festival, for his film “Summa,” he strengthened his standing as an author capable of translating Belarusian pain into the language of universal human cinema. This is why Northern European broadcasters ARTE, DW, ZDF and TVP joined the “Letters” project.
One of the film’s main themes is creating a sense of spatial and informational isolation. The film shows how letters remain the only channel of communication between two parallel worlds: those inside the country (or behind bars) and those who were forced to flee abroad. The theme of lost, censored or detained letters becomes a metaphor for an entire nation deprived of its voice.
Who Is Andrei Kutsila?
Andrei Kutsila was born in 1983. In 2007, he graduated from the Faculty of Journalism at Belarusian State University, and two years later from the Belarusian State Academy of Arts. He participated in the prestigious international IDFAcademy and Berlinale Talents programs and was a recipient of the Polish Gaude Polonia scholarship.
In 2018, his film “Summa” won the award for best mid-length documentary at IDFA, the largest documentary film festival, in Amsterdam. Kutsila’s directing portfolio includes more than a dozen documentaries that have received international recognition, including “Kill the Day” (2010), “Guests” (2015), “Strip and War” (2019), “I Need the Handshakes” (2020), “When Flowers Are Not Silent” (2021), “Holy Water” (2023) and others.
For those unable to attend the premiere today, another screening of the film will take place tomorrow, Sept. 10, at 2 p.m. in Astra 2.
