A film almanac of debut works by Belarusian authors, with a duration of up to 100 minutes, is set to be released in 2017, Irina Driga, First Deputy Minister of Culture of Belarus, informed a BELTA correspondent.
A film almanac of debut works by Belarusian authors, with a duration of up to 100 minutes, is set to be released in 2017, Irina Driga, First Deputy Minister of Culture of Belarus, informed a BELTA correspondent.
As previously reported, the Ministry of Culture of Belarus announced an open competition for the creation of feature debut films, conducted in the format of state procurement. The subject of the state procurement is the provision of services for film production (in accordance with Article 17 of the Law of June 14, 2004 "On Cinematography in the Republic of Belarus"). The deadline for submitting proposals is November 22, and the date for opening applications is November 23. The First Deputy Minister of Culture added that the announcement of the competition for the creation of the film almanac has generated significant interest within the film community, attracting both emerging directors, such as students from the Academy of Arts, and those who received their education much earlier but, being documentary filmmakers, wish to try their hand at creating feature films. "There are no age restrictions in this case. Proposals can come from young authors as well as those over 31 years of age. The main condition is that it must be the debut work of the director," she stated.
The idea of creating a film almanac did not originate recently or within government offices, noted the First Deputy Minister. For instance, there are many script proposals at the "Belarusfilm" National Film Studio.
The primary condition for inclusion in the almanac will be the quality of the script, but all plots must be united by a certain conceptual idea or theme. Anticipating many interesting and vibrant projects, the Ministry of Culture considers it possible to form a script portfolio from proposals that, while not included in the almanac, represent solid material.
Irina Driga added that the project will be implemented over the course of a year to allow for filming on location during different seasons if necessary. The completion of the work on the almanac is planned for September 2017. "We would like the almanac to be interesting for both the audience and professionals, and for the work to have a festival life," concluded the First Deputy Minister.