Belarusfilm (Belarusian: Беларусьфільм) is the main film studio of Belarus. It is also the oldest film studio in Belarus
Contents
History
Soviet times
Belarusfilm, under the name Belgoskino was founded in 1924. The first film shot by Belgoskino was "Forest Story," also known as "Tale of the Woods." Yuri Tarich was the director.
In 1928, the Soviet Belarus studio (Савецкая Беларусь) was founded in Leningrad and moved to Minsk in 1939. Film production was interrupted by World War II, and restarted in 1946, when the studio assumed its current name. After World War II, the studio was dubbed Partizanfilm, due to the large output of films portraying the Soviet partisan's struggle against Nazi occupation.
In Soviet times, the studio was also renowned for its children's films. Its first project was a co-production with Soyuzmultfilm in 1963 – a stop motion feature film called Attention! The Magician is in the City! Consistent animated film production, however, did not begin until 1972. The studio has to date made 131 animated films.
Most of the output has been in Russian rather than Belarusian.
Belarusfilm is also a co-organizer of the Listapad film festival annually held in Minsk, Belarus in November.
Among the early, Soviet-era directors who oversaw films for the studio are: Alexander Faintsimmer, Oleg Frelikh, Vladimir Gardin, Vladimir Korsh-Sablin, Grigori Roshal, Boris Shpis, Yuri Tarich and Mikhail Verner.
2000s
In 2012, Sergei Loznitsa’s In the Fog shot jointly with Belarusfilm won the FIPRESCI prize at the 65th Cannes Film Festival. In 2013, Belarusfilm presented 5 shorts at Cannes.
In 2019, a major portion of an Indian movie Squad was shot at Belarusfilm. It is the first Bollywood film to be shot in Belarus. The movie Enemy Lines was also shot in Belarus.
In 2019, Belarusfilm signed a memorandum of long-term cooperation with the Indian Union of Trade and Industry Promotion Organization.
In 2024, the studio announced working on its first 3D animated fantasy film.
Selected films
USSR
1926 Tale of the Woods or Forest Story
1927 Prostitute
1928 Kastus Kalinovsky
1928 His Excellency
1929 See You Tomorrow
1930 Hatred
1930 Sasha
1933 The Return of Nathan Becker
1933 The First Platoon
1934 Lieutenant Kijie
1936 Late for a Date
1936 Seekers of Happiness
1937 Beethoven Concerto
1938 The Bear
1938 Men of the Sea a.k.a. Baltic Sailors
1953 The Skylarks are Singing
1959 A Girl Searches for Her Father
1972 Fakir Hour
1975 The Adventures of Buratino
1976 Secret to the Whole World
1977 About Red Riding Hood
1985 Come and See
Belarus
1993 Az vozdam
1993 Me Ivan, You Abraham
1997 From Hell to Hell
1995 Lato miłosci
1997 Zeezicht
2003 Anastasia Slutskaya
2003 Babiy Yar
2003 Chernobyl Heart
2004 Dunechka
2004 On the Nameless Height
2006 Franz + Polina
2010 Fortress of War
2010 Massacre
2012 In the Fog
2020 Kupala