At Stalin’s and post-Stalin’s times a lot of people from Belarus (then Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic) were resettled. On the one hand, the families of „public enemies” had to be kept somewhat farther away. On the other, underpopulated territories of the Soviet Empire needed to be cultivated. So the family of little Belarusian Alexej Kliunia was moved to an island in the midst of Ladoga Lake in Carelia. Now some decaded have passed and already old Alexej Kliunia is left alone on this island. The lonely Belarusian on the deserted Russian island among the ruins of the formerly active life has created a miniature Belarusian Republic, in which he is the only citizen. In his hut he hang the Belarusian flag over his bed and sleeps underneath. He fixed a portrait of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to the mirror. Alexej Kliunia often talks to himself. Or to his only friend – horse Almaz. They have been many years together. Alexej wants to die first so that Almaz could carry his coffin to the cemetery.
Director: Victor Aśliuk
Cinematography: Ivan Hancharuk, Anatol Kazazaeu
Editing: Victor Aśliuk
Producer: Jolanta Kilian
Victor Asliuk – a director and a scriptwriter. The graduate from the Belarusian State University and The Belarusian Academy of Fine Arts. Since 1995 he has been working for the studio 'Belarusfilm’. Since 2003 he is a member of the European Film Academy. The director of more than 40 documentaries, among others: ‘Island Belarus’ 2009, 2010), ‘Mary’ (Марыя, 2007), ‘The wheel’(Кола, 2003), ‘We live on the edge’ (Мы жывем на краі, 2002). His films were presented among othersin the Film Festival ‘Alter-native’, Tirgu–Mures, Romania (1995); The National Film Festival, Brest (2001); 27th International Television Film Festival ‘Plovdiv’, Bulgaria (2001); International Film Festival ‘a message for people’, Rosja; European Festival of the Broadcasters PRIX–EUROPA, Berlin; 7. International Festival of Documentaries, Teheran, Iran; 13th and 14th Open Festival of Documentaries, Jekaterinburg, Russia; International Film Festival ‘Alpe Adrea XIV ed. Trieste; International Film Festival ‘Vila do Conde’, Portugalia; International Film Festival ‘Dokumentart, Neubrandenburg, Niemcy; International Film Festival Piarnu, Estonia; Belgrad Festival of Documentaries and Short Films, Serbia (2002); International Film Festival ‘The Golden Knight’, Moskwa; International Film Festival ‘of Documentaries and Cartoons, Lipsk; International Festival of Short Film, Tampare, Finland; International Film Festival ‘ CINEMA DU REEL, Paris; International Film Festival Black and White, Porto, Portugal; International Film Festival ‘ Huesco Spain International Film Festival ‘ Maremetraggio (2004), Triest; International Festival of Short Films and documentaries „Drama”. He received the award on the international festivals for the film ’We are living on the edge’, and also received the award for the best short documentary on the International Film Festival ‘Message for people’ in Sankt Petersburg; in Berlin Prix –Europe for the best television documentary during the European Festival of Broadcasters’ PRIX- EUROPA’, Berlin 2002; the award for the best documentary on the 7th International Documental Film Festival, Teheran, Iran, was nominated for the Russian national award ‘The laurel leaf’, Moscow; Grand-Prix Manoel de Oliveira award for the best film in the International Film festival Vila do Conde, Portugal, 2003; UIP Vila do Conde award for the best European film in the International Film festival Vila do Conde, Portugal, 2003; was nominated for the award for the European Film Academy, Best Short Film, 2003 (Felix); Grand-Prix for the best documentary, of the International Film Festival of Documentaries and Short Films’ Drama’, Greece 2003, the award for the best short film of the International Film Festival CINEMA DU REEL, Paris, France’ for the film ‘The Robinsons from Mantsinsaariii’ he received the international award SCAM, "Cinema du Reel", Paris, France,2009. He is a member of the Belarusian Association of Filmmakers.
-Drama International Short Film Festival, Drama, Greece (August 2013)
-17th International Documentary Film Festival CINEMA OFF in Poznań, Poland - the first prize - "GOLDEN CASTLE". In addition, the first prize was awarded for the Story Factory for Victor Aśliuk for the film ‘Almaz’: ‘for the simplicity and beauty of storytelling image, sound and silence’ (December 2013)
- ‘Cinema Vérité’ Iran International Documentary Film Festival, Teheran, Iran (November 2013)
- VIII Festiwal Filmu Filozoficznego w Krakowie, Polska (December 2013)
- MEDIAWAVE International Film and Music Gathering - The ON THE ROAD – the best film, Gathering, Hungary (April 2014)
- 12th Festival international Zeichen der Nacht (Signes de Nuit), Berlin - Paris, Germany – France – Main Award (August 2014)
- 7th of the Faito doc festival, Monte Faito, Italia (August 2014)
- 23th dokumentART – European Festival for Documentaries Neubrandenburg, Germany, (October 2014)
- DOC EN COURTS, Lyon, France (December 2014)
- MiradasDoc International Documentary Film Festival, Canary Islands, Spain, (November 2014) – the BEST SHORT INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY.
- International Competition of the 21st Internationale Kurzfilmwoche Regensburg, Germany (March 2015).