Trailer for Film “Brest Fortress” Presented in Minsk

The filming of “Brest Fortress”, a joint project of “Central partnership” company and film studio “Belarusfilm” initiated by the Union State, has been completed. This news was spread by Chairman of the Union State TV and Radio Broadcasting Organization (the Union TRO) Igor Ugolnikov at the press conference held in Minsk on November 15th, 2009.

The filming of “Brest Fortress”, a joint project of “Central partnership” company and film studio “Belarusfilm” initiated by the Union State, has been completed. This news was spread by Chairman of the Union State TV and Radio Broadcasting Organization (the Union TRO) Igor Ugolnikov at the press conference held in Minsk on November 15^th, 2009.

According to the Chairman of the Union TRO, in order to achieve maximum authenticity the shooting began at 4 o’clock in the morning on June 22^nd in Brest fortress. Vasili Gubarenko, director of the memorial complex “Brest Fortress-Hero”, acted as a chief historical consultant.

“For more than two years the organizers had been carrying out preparatory work, approving final scenario, settling an awful lot of organizational, financial and legal problems,” said Igor Ugolnikov. Author's rights will belong to Belarus and Russia – 35% and 65% respectively, in accordance with the financial contribution to film shooting.

“We shot a documentary, patriotic film without any fiction,” said the general producer. “Central characters of the film are the real defenders of Brest fortress”. He said that initially he planned “Brest Fortress” as a small-scale film. According to Igor Ugolnikov, the genre of the film shot will be called exclusively “patriotic drama”.

The film is intended for a wide audience. “Brest Fortress” should be watched by the whole family,” believes Igor Ugolnikov. “Our children know nothing about the Great Patriotic War. Under the influence of western films and computer games their conception of what the war is has completely changed”.

Igor Ugolnikov said that the shooting area was filled with special atmosphere. “The shooting went off well. When we needed sun, the day was sunny. We were waiting that there would be some rain which could lay the dust, so it was raining. And on the final shooting day it started snowing (the last defender of Brest fortress laid down arms in winter, at the end of 1941 – beginning of 1942)”. At present film director Alexander Kott is busy with preliminary film editing.

The Chairman of the Union TRO believes that now it is too early to talk about the festival fate of the film. Even now some festivals want to get “Brest Fortress” for projection. The decision on this issue has not been taken yet as it will depend on the further fate of the film.