Belsat anniversary celebration and music clip festival banned in Minsk

• 15.12.2008, 13:14

On December 14 a festival “Clip marathon” of Belarusian video clips was to take place in “Aquarium” club. However, two days before the event its organisers had to cancel it.

The club’s direction showed the organisers the decision of the capital’s chief sanitary officer that the venue’s licence is temporarily revoked because of the club’s failure to meet sanitary requirements. An advertisement appeared on the doors of the club that from December 12 to 15 renovation is to take place there. At re same time, the organising committee has expressed a guess that the festival’s cancelation could be caused by political reasons.

On December 12 in the same club celebration of the anniversary of “Belsat” satellite channel is to take place there.

The organisers of the festival haven’t found another pace for it still, moreover, it is hard to find a place for it before winter holidays.

Holding the festival “Clip-marathon” this year is linked with the anniversary of the Belarusian clip-making. 20 years ago Henadz Shuvagin made the first Belarusian music video for a song “Hurrah” by Bonda group. It had been planned that during the festival viewers would be offered more than 30 music videos created in 2007-2008 for Belarusian songs by Krambambulya, ZET, Krama, Palats, B.N., IQ48, Partyzone, Neuro Dubel and others. Viewers were to choose winners in different nominations.

Besides, a presentation of a DVD-collection of Belarusian music clips with 42 clips created over the last 20 years had been planned in the framework of the festival.