Films by Juliane Tutein

Germany 2023, 77 min
by Juliane Tutein

The documentary provides a unique glimpse into the struggle for democracy in Belarus and the lives of three women after the major protests of 2020. These protests were the largest in Belarus's history, but the Lukaschenko regime brutally suppressed them. Over the course of an entire year, the film follows these exceptional women from different generations, all of whom continue to tirelessly fight for a democratic Belarus. The documentary concludes amidst Russia's destructive war of aggression in Ukraine, impressively highlighting the inseperable fate of Belarus and Ukraine. It becomes abundantly clear that many Belarusians share the conviction that without a free Ukraine, there can never be a democratic future for Belarus. The film portrays the fearless 74-years-old activist Nina Baginskaya, who experienced the Soviet era and has beeen tirelessly advocating for a democratic Belarus since the 1980s. Additionally, the film accompanies the founder of the "Watch Docs Belarus" film festival, Tanya Hatsura-Yavorskaya, who faces a looming prison sentence due to her bold and unwavering human rights work. Meanwhile, countless innocent individuals who took to the streets for a free and democratic Belarus are in prison. The 22-year-old human rights activist Darya Rubleskaya, who had to flee abroad to escape an impending prison sentence, now seeks to draw attention to the fates of the many political prisoners from Vilnius. Directed by Juliane Tutein, a filmmaker who has already received awards for her previous works on Belarus, this documentary is a captivating testament to how people fight for democracy on a daily basis, even when they are scarcely visible in the public eye.

2023, 33 min
by Juliane Tutein

Unexploded ordnance residues often look harmless, but they can be fatal. Young women deminers in Ukraine put their lives at risk to clear important infrastructure points of landmines.Despite constant shelling, young Ukrainian women like Olena Tschisch continue to work as humanitarian deminers. Putting their lives at risk, they carry out the painstaking and dangerous task of clearing roads and important infrastructure of explosive remnants of war and landmines. Tetiana Welschina’s job is to find the exact location of contaminated areas. Tetiana and her team drive through potentially mined territories, searching for signs and interviewing witnesses. She needs to know where Russian units have passed through, where heavy shelling has taken place, or where mine accidents have already occurred. The fate of 23-year-old Oksana Balandina shows just how vital her work is. The nurse from Lysychansk lost both legs in a mine explosion. Despite the difficulties she now faces in her everyday life, Oksana has lost none of her vitality. Every day, she practices walking with prosthetic legs. Her goal is to inspire people who have suffered a similar fate. Total civilian casualties from ordnance or landmine explosions since Russia launched its war of aggression on Ukraine is currently difficult to determine.

2021, 57 min
by Juliane Tutein

Belarus in December 2020. It has become quiet on the streets of Minsk, where just a few months ago thousands of demonstrators were protesting against the outcome of the presidential elections. Lukashenko used all the force he could muster against the demonstrators, and many of the participants are now in prison. In public, only the red-white-red colours symbolizes still that the resistance against the autocratic regime nevertheless continues. The film "Colours in the Snow" gives a multi-layered insight into how the lives of eight Belarusian women have changed fundamentally since August 2020.