The nationwide premiere of the documentary-feature film "Cultural Code" took place in Vitebsk
The new film by the national film studio "Belarusfilm" is timed to coincide with the Day of National Unity. The first to see it in the northern capital were representatives of regional and city authorities, public organizations, as well as schoolchildren and students.
The short film tells the story of two characters – cameraman Vanya and TV director Liza, who are tasked with shooting a film about the state symbols of the Republic of Belarus as their diploma project. The filming of the diploma project turns into an exciting and educational adventure for the young people: they participate in a car rally dedicated to the Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus in a vintage car, take part in the "Let's Sing the Anthem Together" campaign, visit museums, and meet interesting expert interlocutors.
In a documentary-feature format, viewers are told about the history of the creation of the state symbols of our country, the meaning of the colors, symbols, and words used in them. Also, through surveys of Belarusians, topics such as prospects for youth, love for the country, and people's attitudes towards state symbols are revealed.
As noted by Elena Bondareva, Head of the State Archives of the Vitebsk Region, residents of the northern region can be proud that the history of each of the main state symbols is connected with our region. Thus, the flag depicts an ornament embroidered in 1917 by a peasant woman from the village of Kostelishche, Senno district, Matryona Markevich, in whose honor a monument was erected in Senno in 2015. The coat of arms of the BSSR is the basis for the coat of arms of our country, and the project of this state symbol was developed by Valentin Volkov, a teacher at the Vitebsk Art College. Students of the institution were also involved in the process. The music for the anthem was written by Nestor Sokolovsky, a native of the Dokshitsy district. The music used in the anthem of the BSSR is the basis for the modern anthem of the Republic of Belarus.
The film was directed by young director Kirill Khaletsky, who noted that while watching the film, every Belarusian will find their own answer to the question: "What is the cultural code of our country?"
– I really liked the format of the film. Due to the fact that it is not only documentary but also artistic, it was easy to perceive the serious topics raised in the film, – said Maria Zhukovskaya, a student of Vitebsk Secondary School No. 31 named after Vera Khoruzhaya. – I learned more about the history of the creation of state symbols, and also discovered the meaning of the color red in the flag. I thought it symbolized the blood shed by soldiers for our freedom in the Great Patriotic War, but it turned out that the color red, among other things, signifies the strength, courage, nobility, and energy of our people.
After watching the film, Vladimir Beleevich, head of the administration of the Oktyabrsky district of the city of Vitebsk, expressed confidence that the film will certainly be in demand not only among young people but also among people of the older generation.
– Thanks to an interesting combination of fiction and documentary cinema, the film turned out to be holistic and revealed important topics in an accessible language: about the significance of state symbols, the attitude of the Belarusian people towards them, – emphasized Vladimir Beleevich. – As the President recently said when he visited our university, everything should be called by its simple name. Therefore, this film is one of the tools of ideological orientation that we will use in our work with the population.
Deputy Chairman of the Vitebsk City Executive Committee Viktor Glushin noted that the film turned out to be both light and filled with important meaning.
– 36 minutes flew by unnoticed. The film not only revealed the topic of the history of the creation of our state symbols, their significance, but also told about our native country, that we should live and work here. About the people who are next to us and are proud of their country, – said Viktor Glushin. – The film will be useful and interesting for absolutely everyone to see, as it helps to look at many familiar things in a new way. For example, I knew the history of the creation of the coat of arms since Soviet times, but I only learned today that Valentin Volkov, a teacher at the Vitebsk Art College, was involved in this. This allows me to be even more proud of being a Vitebsk resident.
"Cultural Code" will be shown in Vitebsk cinemas from September 5 to 11.