New European Support Program for Young Belarusian Filmmakers To Be Held This Year for the Second Time.

The Belarusian Filmmakers Network is pleased to announce the launch of the European Program for Young Belarusian Filmmakers, now in its second year. This initiative aims to support the creative autonomy and professional development of the new generation of Belarusian filmmakers, helping them adapt to the European system of screen production. The Belarusian Filmmakers Network (BFN) is a platform for filmmakers living in exile. It brings together independent young filmmakers from the diaspora in a network to support each other in different European countries, promote the development of their careers and projects, and develop ideas. The program focuses this year on three key pillars: integration, institutionalization, and training.

“This initiative not only supports young Belarusian filmmakers, but also creates sustainable pathways for their further growth and integration into the European film industry.”

- Magdalena Ziomek, director of SMartDe.

The Network was conceived in response to the cultural repression perpetrated by the Belarusian regime, which has devastated the national film industry. The emigration of many young creatives has disrupted their networks, leaving them isolated and vulnerable. The Belarusian Filmmakers Network aims to provide ongoing support and act as a catalyst for independent actions by young filmmakers in a new cultural landscape. This year's program is designed for the upcoming six months and will include the following:

• 3/06–30/11/24, MicroBudget Film Incubator
  An online film school featuring European and Belarusian experts. Participants will have the opportunity to develop their own microbudget projects competitively and receive professional feedback. The film school has already started with ten participants working on their film ideas and engaging in online sessions with industry experts.
• 7–9/10/24, BFN Synergy BarCamp #2.0
  Scheduled for October 7-9 this event will bring together fifty Belarusian filmmakers and European film industry experts. The BarCamp aims to facilitate open discussions, creative networking, provide training, and connect participants with European partners and co-producers.
• 5–10/11/24, Visit FilmFestival Cottbus
  This year's program will also include the participation of BFN representatives in the film market at the Cottbus Film Festival (Germany), promoting further integration and professional growth.

This comprehensive approach is essential in these challenging times:

"The regime is breaking contacts—we are re-establishing them. There is no alternative to collaborating. Either we integrate, or we simply don't exist,"

- says Leonid Kalitenya, film producer and board member of the BFN Network.

The Belarusian Filmmakers Network is a project funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, Program: Expanding Cooperation with Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership Countries and Russia.

SMartDe: SMartDE is a cooperative that supports freelancers and self-employed individuals in Germany by taking on a significant part of their administrative duties. Based on the principles of solidarity economy and shared economy, SMartDE is part of the European SMart network with more than 90,000 members, aiming to improve the working conditions of the self-employed. The German subsidiary was established in 2015. For more information, visit SMartDE.

SINGO: SINGO was founded in 2018 by Belarusian civil activists. The association works to promote the ideas of civil society, the culture of solidarity, social responsibility, and justice.

Belarusian Filmmakers’ Network: The Belarusian Filmmakers' Network is a network of Belarusian film professionals founded in 2022. Its main goal is to support and promote independent filmmaking projects and to help them establish themselves in the European film industry. Visit: The Belarusian Filmmakers' Network.

For further information, please contact:
e-mail: media.bfn@gmail.com