UNDER THE GREY SKY
dir. Mara Tamkovich
stage of the production: finished
genre: fiction, political drama inspired by true events
lenght: 82`
Logline: A couple, both journalists, fights to remain true to themselves and each other despite the repressions suffocating Belarus after the protests of 2020.
Synopsis: Belarus, 2020. Mass protests follow the elections rigged by Lukashenko. Anti-regime journalist Lena livestreams the brutal crackdown of the peaceful demonstration and gets tracked down by a police drone. Nevertheless she continues the broadcast and gets arrested. Lena’s husband Ilya prepares an emergency evacuation abroad hoping she will be released soon, but the woman is sentenced to 2 years in prison. Ilya refuses to leave without Lena despite his own threat and stands by his wife as the regime is determined to break them both. The film is inspired by a true story of Belarusian journalists Igor Ilyash and Katsiaryna Andryeva, who is currently serving a prolonged prison sentence of 8 years and 3 months.
Katarzyna Ocioszynska - producer: UNDER THE GREY SKY is telling an important story with strong international potential. It relates to the real events of 2020 in Belarus, which had the attention of the media worldwide, but tells a very personal and universally relatable story of love, devotion, sacrifice and human dignity.
Mara Tamkovich - polish-belarusian director and scriptwriter. She studied journalism at Warsaw University, film directing at Warsaw Film School and at Wajda School. For nearly ten years she worked as a journalist for independent Belarusian TV and Radio broadcasting from abroad to deliver uncensored information to Belarusians. As a filmmaker, Mara focuses on socially relevant topics, deeply connected to reality. UNDER THE GREY SKY is her debut feature.
Mara Tamkovich: UNDER THE GREY SKY 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 have to oppose the system? It is an anti-heroic film, that is far from painting an idolised picture of rightful fight. It is a story of love, devotion and of understanding what can be sacrificed and what can not.
