G.Poloka: “We form the Union State, and it means the films made in Belarus should be available to Russian public”

The fate of Gennadi Poloka, People’s Artist of Russia and film director, is unique. In Soviet times he was persecuted a great deal by film officials, yet he refused the proposal of Rockefeller to move to the West. He shot only 8 films, but most of them have become the laureates of international festivals. The film “Respublika SHKID ” [“Dostoevskiy School Republic”] and “Intervention” went down in history of Soviet cinematograph. Recently Gennadi Poloka has shot the film “Eye for Eye” at “Belarusfilm” studio.

The fate of Gennadi Poloka, People’s Artist of Russia and film director, is unique. In Soviet times he was persecuted a great deal by film officials, yet he refused the proposal of Rockefeller to move to the West. He shot only 8 films, but most of them have become the laureates of international festivals. The film “Respublika SHKID ” [“Dostoevskiy School Republic”] and “Intervention” went down in history of Soviet cinematograph. Recently Gennadi Poloka has shot the film “Eye for Eye” at “Belarusfilm” studio.

The film director successfully lectures in film faculties of Belgrad, New York, London, American Syracuse and at Eisenstein Mexican film school. Lately he has become the President of the International Film Festival of CIS countries, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia “New Cinema. XXI century”.

“My biography is a visual evidence of the fact that the best cinema is our life itself,” he stated in the interview with the periodical “Soyuznoe Veche”.

Under his words, the main tasks of the festival “New Cinema. XXI century” are the renewal of a common film distribution area among postsoviet countries, development of national cinematograph and reestablishment of lost traditional relations among peoples.

“No doubt, it is na?ve to believe that one can restore once common area only with the help of films. There should be some movement on the national and public levels, headed by a popular and significant person. Still, cinematograph can do a lot. That is why I want the films, noted at the festival, to be screened in all CIS countries, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia,” Noted G.Poloka.

Recently the film director has shot the film “Eye for Eye” in which Vladimir Gostyukhin starred. “Belarus has great cinematograph potential, it has cherished the traditions of high-quality cinema started by Valeri Rubinchik, Leonid Nechaev and Viktor Ptashuk. On the whole, Belarusian land is rich in talents. Besides that, the national film studio is actively renewed and renovated thanks to the government support. Thus it is not surprising that at present many Russian films are shot here,” he stated in the interview.

At the same time, in his opinion, Belarusian films are unknown to Russian audience. “We form the Union State, and it means that the films made in Belarus should be available to Russian public and it is necessary to support them in Russian distribution system,” considers G.Poloka. “Especially since they deserve it. But the most widespread distribution in Belarus and Russia is necessary for joint Belarusian-Russian films. Besides, a lot of modern cinemas have been built recently”.