Minsk Renaissance

How the capital's yards turned into a hope for change throughout the country.

Documentary maker Artyom Tsarev made a film about the Renaissance Courtyard - the life of Minsk courtyards after the elections. The film turned out to be wrapped in hope. It tells the story of the awakening of the civil society that is not going to fall asleep again.

"The elections in Belarus were a moment of unification of the whole society; people might have felt unity for the first time. This feeling was replaced by fear when peaceful protests faced violence on the part of the authorities. But the effect was the opposite that the law enforcers had expected: instead of aborting the struggle, people began to unite wherever it was possible. It is how Minsk residents learned about their neighbours. It is probably the warmest and most encouraging reports I've even released. It tells the story of the awakening of the civil society that is not going to fall asleep again," the preface to the documentary says.