The international documentary film festival "Artdocfest/Riga", which will take place from March 1 to 8, has included four films in its program with the slogan "Long live Belarus!" ("Zhyve Belarus!"), banned as Nazi by authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko's regime, as it gained international resonance in the 2020 mass protests.
Documentaries that the festival announces with the slogan "Long live Belarus!" heralds a fearless nation. In 2020, the whole world sympathized with the brave efforts of the Belarusians to overthrow their dictator. The national white-red-white flags of Belarus were also put up in the capital of Latvia as a symbol of opposition. Popular protests were brutally suppressed, yet life and resistance continue, so "Artdocfest/Riga" would like to remind about this.
The competition program "Artdocfest Open" includes three amazing productions: "The Accidental President" (United Kingdom) – a fascinating portrayal of the transformation of Sviatlana Tihanouska; "Homeland" (Sweden, Ukraine, Norway), winner of Grand Prix at the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival CPH DOX; and "Pussy Boys" (Belarus) – not only provocative but sometimes even shocking story by independent authors about the LGBT community in modern Belarus. The thematic program "Peace in War" includes "I Want to Go to War" (Poland, Belarus), which tells the story of Belarusians who took up arms to defend the freedom and independence of Ukraine.
“Artdocfest/Riga" will present its screenings in the traditional venues – at the cinema "Splendid Palace" and the Zuzeum Art Center.