Oleksandr Rodnyansky: Lukashenko Runs Dry

He is not interesting for cinema anymore.

Oleksandr Rodnyansky is a Kyiv-born Ukrainian. In the 90s, he founded the TV channel "1+1", and later went to work in Russia. He headed the STS Media holding. Besides working on television, Rodnyansky directed movies (Cloud Atlas, Stalingrad, Leviathan, Sin City 2 and many others) and did it very successfully: his films were nominated for Oscar four times. When the war began, the Ukrainian criticized Putin. Later, he had to leave Russia. In an interview with zerkalo.io.

- Let's talk about Belarus. Did you ever shoot in Minsk?

No. But I was planning to shoot two projects we're developing from the U.S.

Why do some people prefer to shoot in our capital?

- It looks like Moscow in the 70s. You can't shoot a story in the Russian capital today that has to do with Soviet realities. Moscow is a 21st century city. Plus you are nearby. It's cheap and has professionals.

- Why do you think the lion's share of the cinema sponsored by the Belarusian state is about the war?

- Just like in Russia, it's a cornerstone ideology. The government is trying to maintain its position due to it. They are the heirs and they won. Seriously? There is victory, sacrifice, an eternal cult. To be properly understood, I will eternally respect everything connected with the victory. However, the way it is exploited by politicians in Russia and Belarus is a cynical destruction of memory, which contributes to the oblivion of the victims of the Second World War.

- If Oleksandr Rodnyansky shot a movie about Belarus in Belarus, what would the films be about? An important clarification: one would like these projects to be commercially successful.

- I think you have long had people who create unique services and work in IT. I would shoot a story of these guys who came from your cities/villages and were able to create companies that are involved in the major technology chains in the world. I wonder how they combine life in Belarus, attitudes towards government, people, and what they do. I would do the least research on Lukashenka's totalitarian psychology. He's not an interesting character at all. The year 2020 is a genius story. How your girls came out, having read how one could bring about a flower revolution. I have recently wondered what it was that made these dudes in balaclavas be so violent towards people. This is a strong emotional experience of Belarus, which historically matters. I think it will be part of the foundation of the culture and life of the future state.

- You say Lukashenka is not an interesting character. Why?

- For the movies. Everything is clear about him. He's exhausted. Lukashenka is equal to himself. I don't see a mystery behind him. The audience has had enough of him.