September 18

OPENING EVENT

19:00, LARGO

MOTHERLAND

Alexander Mihalkovich, Hanna Badziaka

Sweden, Ukraine, Norway - 2023 - 92’

A film from Belarus "situated" between two extremes - from rave parties in  post-Soviet darkness to the reflection of neo-nationalism in a society where corruption and a brutal war-honouring culture divide the young generation. When Nikita begins his mandatory military service in 2020, he is confronted head-on with the deeply guarded secret of a deadly tradition that has existed for decades in post-Soviet Belarus: "dedovshtina," or the practice of violence and harassment that allegedly turns boys into men, but instead creates deep traumas for generations that have shaped the country's present day culture and identity.