Khashchavatski didn’t pass censer
- 4.03.2008, 9:12
No films by famous film director Yury Khashchavatski were included in the catalogue of Belarusian films. Yury Khashchavatski directed films The Square and An Ordinary President.
The Union of Belarusian Filmmakers published a catalogue of Belarusian cinematographers at the beginning of the year. Film director Yury Khashchavatski was not surprised about not being able to find his name there.
“I am not surprised at Zamyatalins’ order. It’s normal. These are our genre’s terms. It must be so. These are the rules of the game. He hates me, and he hates the films I shot. He understands they compromise the current authorities, ” Khashchavatski said to Euroradio.
Khashchavatski was most offended by the fact that the book had been written by good people. However, by the people the author used to consider good.
Yury Khashchavatski: “The authors of the book seem to be normal people. I am surprised they agreed to this low act. I was surprised there were no decent people among my colleagues. I’m just smiling at their backs. I don’t think they will be able to face me. I disdain them”.
The Euroradio talked to one of the authors of the collection of articles Lyudmila Perahudava. She confessed that she had written her articles in 2003 and had almost forgotten what was in them:
“The collection was prepared ages ago. I wrote those articles in 2003. I practically do not remember what was in them. We tried to mention everyone. Journalists should know who the people are. We even mentioned operators, sound technicians and critics. We tried to mention everyone. But speaking about the result…”
However, the author of the concept Volha Nyachai seems to remember very well what film directors were included in the book. Volha Nyachai flatly refused to answer the question why Khashchavatski had not been mentioned in the catalogue. She even said she had been waiting for the question:
“I will not answer this question. I knew you phoned me for it. I will not answer this question... I don’t consider it necessary to answer. I think it should not be discussed on the phone, ” Nyachai said.
Besides Khashchavatski’s films, the same thing happened to some “ill-fated” films of such directors as Victar Dashuk, Ela Milova, Arkadz Ruderman and Iryna Pismennaya.
Articles about Iryna Pismennaya and Ela Milova were put in the section of feature films (although they should have been placed among other documentaries or in the video centre). Ela Milova thinks that the feature films section was less controlled.
That is what director Iryna Pismennaya whose film I’m Invited to a Ball got a prize at Berlin Cinema Festival told Euroradio:
“There are some of my films but not all of them. There are only those that were shot officially. The ones that do not threaten anyone. The Film I’m Invited to a Ball is about women who faced the perestroika. Two of them died and the other two left the country. The film is not mentioned there. There is no film about Bykau, too. A few other films are also missing: To live till love, for example… All the films weren’t included in the catalogue. ”
The complier of the catalogue Volha Nyachai explained that the most famous and honoured directors had been included in the catalogue:
“There is about a thousand names. Those are people having a lot of prizes, who are more prestigious and famous, those who shot a lot of films. And those who contributed more to the cinema art.”
It is necessary to note that Khashchavatski’s film The Square got a lot of prizes. But it seems that it was not enough to deserve the honour to be included in the collection of articles “Belarusian Cinema. The persons.”