Aliaksei Paluyan
Directing
Biography
Aliaksei Paluyan was born 1989 in Belarus. In 2012 he moved to Germany and studied film and television directing at the Kunsthochschule Kassel (Academy for the arts). He has become known to audiences as a director of fiction short films and documentaries that have been presented at festivals worldwide. With his unique artistic signature, Aliaksei Paluyan has achieved to transform highly personal storys from his homeland into themes of universal meaning and relevance. In 2019, his short fiction drama LAKE OF HAPPINESS, a german-belarusian-spainish co-production, premiered in Clermont-Ferrand, won a numerous awards at international festivals, was a candidate for European Short Film at the 33rd European Film Awards in 2020 and also longlisted for the Oscars 2021. COURAGE is his documentary film debut.
Known For

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Kulturzeit

In a small Belarusian village where time seems to stand still, Jasja must deal with her mother's death. She takes every duty upon herself to fill the void a mother has left behind. Someone must hold the pieces together. Still, her father decides to send her to an orphanage with the promise of returning. When he fails to show up, she decides to run away and go back home instead.
Lake of Happiness

Maryna, Pavel and Denis belong to an underground theatre group in Minsk, Belarus. In the course of the 2020 presidential elections, they take part in the peaceful mass protests, together with thousands of people. They narrowly escape arrest and torture. What unites them is the hope for freedom of speech and democracy.
Courage

In cafeteria Natalia accidentally poured hot soup over Jakub, a young student. He falls in love with the girl at once, but loses her in the crowd. When he finally finds her, he realizes that words are not enough to communicate properly. Jakub finds a way to communicate with Natalia without words.
Disturbance of the Quietness
The movie focuses on a son and father who find themselves at opposite ends of a power struggle that goes back to Soviet times.
Waiting For Bernau

The Belarusian village Lubeiki is inhabited solely by women. They not only outlived their husbands, but their children as well. Nevertheless, they have immense vitality and will to live. In the words of one of the main characters, "life is short, but sweet." In the film, they sift through their memories and share with us their wisdom.