Belarus Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Elena Rybakina is the champion!

Jessica Kiang The very first words in the Belarusian national anthem, which is being sung devoutly at an army graduation ceremony as “Motherland” begins, are “We Belarusians are peaceful people.” It does not take long for the irony to bite. Grave skies heavy with snow frame the stark beauty of Siarhiej Kanaplianik’s camerawork, as Hanna Badziaka and Alexander Mihalkovich’s handsome, bitter film outlines something close to the inverse of that ideal: a culture of brutality, bullying and complicity that is fostered in the Belarusian military, and then seeps like the cold into the very bones of civilian society.   Dedovshchina, as some terse titles explain, translates to the benign-sounding “rule of Grandads.” But it describes a systematic code of psychological and physical abuse visited on new conscripts by their longer-serving colleagues, that the Belarusian military establishment, like that of other former Soviet countries, inherited from the Russian army. Most of the time, dedovshschina can be characterized as a particularly violent and humiliating form of ritual hazing, designed to break any spirit of independence or rebellion in newcomers. And having understood that conformity is their best survival tactic (even at that first graduation ceremony, onlookers remark that they cannot pick their own sons out of the lineup: “They kind of all look the same”), last season’s victims become the next cycle’s perpetrators, before they matriculate back into the general population, carrying with them the harsh lessons they’ve learned about might being right, and submission to authority being an inescapable fact of life. 

Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl developer GSC Game World has confirmed that it’s been the victim of a hack, following claims that “a huge amount of materials” from the game would be leaked if the Ukrainian studio does not apologise to Russian fans.Details of the hack first surfaced on Saturday (March 11) when a user from Russian social media site VK claimed to have “tens of gigabytes” of content taken from Stalker 2, including the game’s story, maps and cutscene information.The statement was accompanied by a number of unreleased screenshots and concept art from the game.In the post, the hacker demanded that GSC Game World “rethink [its] attitude towards players from Belarus and Russia,” remove the ban on the hacker’s account from Stalker 2‘s official Discord, and announce a Russian-localised version of Stalker 2.Currently, Stalker 2 is not available for purchase in Russia.The hacker has threatened to release the stolen Stalker 2 footage if GSC Game World does not comply by March 15 and claimed that “it is not necessary to spoil the game for people because of politics”.Yesterday (March 12) GSC Game World confirmed that although an employee had been hacked, it had no plans to comply with the hacker.A message from GSC Game World team pic.twitter.com/rqRM0tFZmO— S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) March 12, 2023“This is not the first attempt to hack and leak our data, including personal information,” wrote the studio.

Recovering Rangers star Ianis Hagi's international comeback has been put on hold after Romania left him out of their Euro 2024 qualifiers later this month.

Ukrainian filmmaker Roman Liubyi is marking the first anniversary on Friday of Russia’s invasion of his country with a screening at the Berlin Film Festival of documentaryIron Butterflies in its Panorama section.

What do a Belarusian emigrant and an African freedom fighter have in common? It’s a question that Giacomo Abbruzzese’s feature debut, which had its world premiere in Competition at the Berlin Film Festival, answers in a beguilingly magic-realist and digressive way that sort of adds up, even though it requires a lot of good faith from the viewer to make it do so. To illustrate its strangeness, Disco Boy could be loosely described as a mash-up of Beau Travail and Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, two very different movies. While both are firmly anchored in arthouse history, neither resembles the other, and it’s that contrast—the rich potential opened up by the space in between—that’s in play here.

Young Belarusian Aleksei (Franz Rogowski) is impatient for a better life in Europe. Coming from a country under dictatorship and with very strong Russian ties, the political isolation of which has made it suffocating for the younger generations, he is seduced by the idea of a borderless, communal whole where everybody counts for something.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Paris-based Italian director Giacomo Abbruzzese says making the Berlin Film Festival competition cut with his first feature, “Disco Boy,” which toplines German star Franz Rogowski (“Passages,” ”Undine”), is “certainly a dream come true.” But he also points out that his remarkable debut was a long time coming.  A graduate of several film schools, including France’s prestigious Le Fresnoy, Abbruzzese started developing “Disco Boy” in 2013 following an encounter in a French disco with a classical dancer who had been a soldier.  

Christopher Vourlias Belarusian filmmakers and industry professionals gathered in Berlin on Friday to announce the launch of the Belarusian Film Academy (BIFA), an organization formed to give a platform to independent filmmakers in the repressive former Soviet republic and staunch Kremlin ally. Born in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when more than 130 Belarusian filmmakers signed a collective statement condemning the unprovoked act of aggression, the academy was created to “solidify, unite and support” their voices, according to co-founder Volia Chajkouskaya. “Living under state censorship and control, we have been searching for ways to unite for a long time,” said Chajkouskaya, a producer, director and founder of the Northern Lights Film Festival. “Since [the start of the Ukraine war], we all continued to face challenges individually and felt that we should unite in solidarity to form a unified front.”

The government of Belarus has passed a law that permits the use of media and intellectual property, such as computer software, in the country without the consent of copyright holders from “unfriendly” foreign nations.

Michelle Obama knows how to make an entrance. The former first lady was one of the speakers at the Albie Awards in New York City.

George Clooney "couldn't be more proud" of his wife Amal's work as a human rights lawyer. The couple attended their inaugural Albie Awards - which they organised through their Clooney Foundation for Justice - in New York on Thursday night (29. 09.

Julia Roberts to Lori Harvey to Meryl Streep stepped out for the Albie Awards at the New York Public Library, which was put on by George and Amal's Clooney Foundation for Justice.The event, which was named after Justice Albie Sachs, who worked to end apartheid in South Africa, honored courageous defenders of justice who are at great risk for what they do.At Thursday's inaugural ceremony, those being recognized include Sachs with a lifetime achievement award; Maria Ressa with the Justice For Journalists award; iAct, an organization that supports survivors of genocide in refugee camps, with the Justice For Survivors award; Belarusian human rights group Viasna with the Justice For Democracy Defenders award; and Dr. Josephine Kulea of the Samburu Girls Foundation, a Kenyan-based organization, with the Justice For Women award.«We believe that justice must be waged -- it doesn’t just happen.

Manori Ravindran International Editor European training program School of Film Advancement (SOFA), which aims to strengthen regional film industries across Europe with a focus on Eastern partnership, has launched its ninth edition and 2022-2023 project selection. The first SOFA workshop, running through Sept. 30, kicked off on Sunday outside the Polish capital of Warsaw. After two virtual years, the program returns with an expanded edition that comprises a line-up of 16 projects and 20 participants, composed of up-and-coming film industry executives, curators and cultural managers from 17 countries including Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Denmark, Bangladesh, Switzerland and Germany.

Manchester United have confirmed that on-loan goalkeeper Martin Dubravka has pulled out of the Slovakia squad because of injury.

The Queen's state funeral is set to be one of the biggest international events the UK has ever seen.

President Joe Biden has arrived in London, where he will join other world leaders at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday. 

Ukraine's First Lady will attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral on behalf of her country. While President Volodymyr Zelensky will remain in his war-torn country as global leaders say a final farewell to the British monarch - who died on 8 September aged 96 - his wife Olena Zelenska will join dignitaries at the service on Monday (19. 09.

Six countries have not received invitations to the Queen's state funeral on Monday September 19.

Russian President Vladimir Putin hasn't been invited to Queen Elizabeth's funeral. The 69-year-old politician and other Kremlin representatives have all been blacklisted by Buckingham Palace, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine earlier this year. Dignitaries from Belarus and Myanmar have also been overlooked by the palace, while Iran will only be represented at the funeral on an ambassadorial level.

Rafael Nadal and Coco Gauff joined a charity match to raise money for the efforts in Ukraine on Wednesday night, raising £1 million ($1. 2 million) through the Tennis Plays for Peace exhibition at the US Open.

US Open for inviting Belarusian world No 22 Victoria Azarenka to compete in their upcoming charity match to raise money for the efforts in Ukraine. Marta Kostyuk and Lesia Tsurenko said they would be snubbing the exhibition after organisers failed to ask if they were comfortable with a Belarusian playing, and slammed Azarenka for failing to condemn the war in the past.

The latest piece of the international Warner Bros. Discovery management puzzle has slotted into place, as the wider reshaping of the business continues. WBD General Manager Warner Bros. Discovery CEE, Baltics and Middle East (CEE MENAT) Jamie Cooke, who took on his post in June, has unveiled his team. Senior roles have gone to the likes of Lee Hobbs and long-serving Warner Bros. sales exec Roni Patel.

A "heartbroken" pet owner has been forced to put her five dogs to sleep after being the first person in the UK to be diagnosed with a rare animal-borne disease.

EXCLUSIVE: The Ukrainian Institute has lambasted the organizers of a prestigious German filmmaker residency program for inviting Russians and Belarusians to take part as well as Ukrainians, slamming the emergency program for the “perpetuation of both an outdated Soviet perspective and Russia’s colonial logic.”

A heartbroken grandmother was left with no choice but to put down her family's five dogs after becoming the first person in the UK to be diagnosed with a rare animal-borne disease, writes The Mirror.

Daniil Medvedev to play. Instead, they opted to host a fund-raising event with the hopes that players from the two nations could be convinced to support a charity match to donate to the efforts in Ukraine.

Ethan Hawke dropped by “The Late Show” on Tuesday, where he shared his unorthodox idea to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

LIVE – Updated at 19:33Follow all the action as the women’s semi-finals take place on Thursday at Wimbledon. Ons Jabeur, the No 2 seed, opened the action on Centre Court against her good friend Tatjana Maria. Both players had reached a grand slam semi-final for the first time in their careers, but Jabeur was clear favourite.

Venus Williams was not afraid to call out these questions. After winning her first-round match with fellow tennis star Jamie Murray against Michael Venus and Alicja Rosolska on Saturday, the tennis pro shut down an eyebrow-raising line of questioning during a press conference at Wimbledon.«Are you in it to win it? Or is it the first target to get past the third round where Serena and Andy became a cropper?» a reporter asked the duo in a video of the exchange from the BBC that has since gone viral. The question references Venus' sister Serena Williams and Jamie's brother Andy Murray, who were both defeated in earlier rounds of the tennis tournament's singles competition.«What kind of question is that?» Venus asked, looking over at Jamie seemingly confused.«We're in it for a stroll,» she sarcastically responded to the reporter.