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Belarus Free Theatre's Burning Doors (Arts Weeks 2021)

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Venue: Online

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A screening and Q&A about Belarus Free Theatre’s film Burning Doors, drawn from the real-life stories of iconoclastic Russian performance artist Petr Pavlensky, Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov and Pussy Riot's Maria Alyokhina.

What happens when you are declared an enemy of the state simply for making art? Drawn from the real-life stories of iconoclastic Russian performance artist Petr Pavlensky, Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov and Pussy Riot's Maria Alyokhina, Belarus Free Theatre’s film Burning Doors is about how much a human being is capable of withstanding, when giving in is not an option. Followed by a live Q&A. 
 
After booking, you will receive access to the performance recording and details for joining a ‘post-show’ discussion with BFT Artistic Directors Natalia Kaliada and Nicolai Khalezin. 
 
Natalia Kaliada is Co-Founding Artistic Director of Belarus Free Theatre, a writer, human rights campaigner, producer and one of the most outspoken critics of Belarus’ repressive regime. She has co-authored and co-directed many plays with her husband, Nicolai Khalezin, including Generation Jeans, Discover Love, Trash Cuisine, Time of Women and Burning Doors. Natalia has also acted as Executive Producer alongside Nicolai Khalezin on all BFT productions. In 2008, together with Nicolai Khalezin and Vladimir Shcherban, she set up Studio Fortinbras, the only independent arts and activism school in Belarus. Under her and Khalezin’s leading roles, BFT has received a series of awards including the French Republic Human Rights Prize, the Atlantic Council Award, Special Mention at the X11 Edition of the Europe Theatre Prize an OBIE, an OFFIE Award, the Vaclav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent and most recently the Magnitsky Human Rights Award for Courage Under Fire. She was forced into exile in 2011 and currently lives in the UK as a political refugee. 
 
Nicolai Khalezin is Co-Founding Artistic Director of Belarus Free Theatre and an award-winning director, playwright, designer, journalist, artist and photographer. Prior to co-founding BFT in 2005, he was co-founder of The Alternative Theater and The Gallery of Modern Art Vita Nova in Minsk and was senior editor at three leading Belarusian newspapers Name, News and Our Freedom all of which were shut down by the Lukashenko regime. He was arrested four times for resistance of the dictatorship and was designated a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International in 2002. This experience informed Generation Jeans, which has been performed more than 100 times around the world including at the home of President Vaclav Havel and at the House of Commons together with BFT’s trustee Jude Law. Playwriting and directing credits for BFT include Discover Love, Trash Cuisine, Time of Women and Burning Doors. Nicolai is the co-founder of BFT’s school, Studio Fortinbras, the only independent arts and activism school in Belarus. Following his release from detention in Belarus in 2011, he was forced into exile and currently lives in the UK as a political refugee.

How to join this event 
This event takes place online. The video of the performance will be available on the Arts Weeks website on 17 May. You will receive an email one hour before the start of the event with a link to join the Q&A. The email will come from messenger@bbk.ac.uk - please check your junk/spam inbox if you have not received the email one hour before the start of the event. 
 
Find out more about Arts Weeks 2021 and book more events. 
 
 

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