Projects

Legacy

Would you fight against the injustice your family is complicit in, even if it means losing them?

synopsis

Minsk, 2020: the country stands on the brink of revolution. Pavel (25) has distanced himself from the Lukashenko regime, which his father Jan (55) had supported for decades as a deputy district chief. Pavel’s friend Stepan (26), an activist, urges him to take action, but Pavel fears consequences for his family. After the manipulated election results, he can no longer hold back and takes to the streets. His increasing political involvement puts his father under immense pressure, driving a deep rift through the family. Meanwhile, the police cracks down aggressively on protesters, arresting thousands, including Pavel. The violent torture in prison and Stepan’s death from injuries sustained in the protests, leave Pavel emotionally destroyed and lead him to radicalise even more and join the resistance. Through these events, his father finally opposes the system, but Pavel is now at the mercy of the brutal regime, determined to leave the country, and facing even greater challenges ahead.

Director’statement

Having grown up in a dictatorship, I know exactly what authoritarian structures do to people and how they change them: How the struggle for family survival and fear determines daily life; how the lack of freedom leads to decisions today that are regretted tomorrow – but cannot be undone. After the rigged elections in 2020, many young people took to the streets, hoping for an end to the Lukashenko era and a peaceful change. But this wave was brutally crushed by the generation of their parents who clung to the power. With Legacy I want to explore the consequences of their courageous solidarity and the question: What if those responsible for terrible injustice are your closest family, and you risk losing them if you choose to fight against it? The film is not only relevant to Belarus, it also speaks to people in many parts of the world. It is a tragedy when young people lose hope in peaceful protest, become radicalised, and take up arms seeking change in their home countries.

TFL PROGRAMME:
FeatureLab 2024

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