EXCLUSIVE: First look at Mara Tamkovich’s debut feature, the drama Under the Grey Sky
- The movie, which will shortly set sail for the EFM, is set during the 2020 protests, and is inspired by the true story of Belarusian journalists Ihar Iljash and Katsyaryna Andreeva
Polish-Belarusian filmmaker Mara Tamkovich’s debut feature, titled Under the Grey Sky, is now ready to take part in the European Film Market, set to run in Berlin from 15-21 February.
A member of the Polish Filmmakers Association and of the Belarusian Independent Film Academy (BIFA), Tamkovich studied journalism at Warsaw University as well as film directing at both the Warsaw Film School and the Wajda School. For nearly ten years, she worked as a journalist for independent Belarusian TV and radio broadcasting, delivering uncensored information to Belarusians from abroad. Her shorts have been screened at many festivals in Poland and abroad, receiving awards at gatherings such as Chicago, Gdynia, Listapad, FEST and Linz, among others.
The story of Under the Grey Sky, penned by the director herself, is set in Belarus in 2020, at a time when mass protests follow the elections rigged by Aleksandr Lukashenko. Anti-regime journalist Lena (played by Aliaksandra Vaitsekhovich) live-streams the brutal crackdown on the peaceful demonstration and gets tracked down by a police drone.
Nevertheless, she continues the broadcast and gets arrested. Lena’s husband, Ilya (Valentin Novopolskij), prepares for an emergency evacuation abroad, hoping she will be released soon, but the woman is sentenced to two years in prison. Ilya refuses to leave without Lena, despite him being in danger himself, and stands by his wife as the regime seems determined to break them both. The picture is inspired by the true story of Belarusian journalists Ihar Iljash and Katsyaryna Andreeva; the latter is currently serving a prolonged prison sentence of eight years and three months.
Key crew members include DoP Krzysztof Trela, production designer Katarzyna Pawelec, costume designer Anna Pietrzak, sound designer Joanna Napieralska and editor Katarzyna Leśniak.
Under the Grey Sky is being produced by Katarzyna Ocioszyńska for Poland’s Media Corporation, with the artistic supervision of Sławomir Łonisk and Katarzyna Kępa-Pawlińska serving as the production manager. The project has also received backing from the Polish Film Institute.
Currently, the team is looking for a festival world premiere as well as sales and distribution partners. The Belarusian-, Russian- and Polish-language feature was filmed on location in Warsaw.
Ocioszyńska tells Cineuropa: “Under the Grey Sky tells an important story with strong international potential. It relates to the real events of 2020, which gained media attention worldwide, but tells a very personal and universally relatable story of love, devotion, sacrifice and human dignity. It’s even more moving if we take into account the fact that Katsyaryna Andreeva, the journalist who inspired the female protagonist, is currently serving a horrific prison term.
“It’s the feature debut by Mara Tamkovich, the up-and-coming voice of the new generation of Belarusian filmmakers, who has already been recognised for her shorts. It’s also important to point out that our film is the first feature by a Belarusian director picturing the 2020 events, and is being produced and financed in Poland with absolutely no connections to any kind of Belarusian companies or funds.”
Tamkovich adds: “The film is an attempt to reflect on the way the protest of 2020 in Belarus has shifted the paradigm from authoritarian stagnation to full-on terror, and to dig into the ways to survive it. We had this amazing, uplifting moment of determination and fearlessness, an empowering moment of true belief that change is possible, the moment some say the Belarusian nation was actually born. But after that came an unprecedented wave of terror, violence and repression.
“What I am looking for in my characters is that human perspective of how to survive the terror and remain true to yourself. What can a single person do to oppose the system? It is an anti-heroic film, far from painting an idealised picture of a righteous fight. It is a story of love, devotion and of understanding what can be sacrificed and what cannot,” she further explains.
On 16 February, Under the Grey Sky will take part in a pitching session organised by BIFA, set to take place at the Conference Lounge in Berlin. No accreditation is required to access the event. The eight selected feature-length projects were handpicked by BIFA co-founders Irena Kotelovich and Igor Soukmanov. Finland’s Leena Pasanen and Italy’s Stefano Tealdi will collaborate with the Belarusian filmmakers to prepare their pitches and set up meetings, as well as teaching independent operations in the film market.
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