Belarus' Oscar submission wins Odesa International Film Festival Grand Prix
Crystal Swan by Belarusian director Darya Zhuk has won the grand prix at the Odesa International Film Festival in Ukraine - the Golden Duke figurine and 10 000 euros, TUT.by reports. It was a long way to success and it is her first film, the filmmaker confessed.
The film flashes back to the 1990s in Belarus. The protagonist is a girl dreaming of moving to America to be a DJ there. Having made a mistake when filling in the US visa application form, the girl gets stuck in a provincial Belarusian town for a week. She meets the town inhabitants and sees their way of life – spontaneous markets, youth raves and dreams about emigration.
Crystal Swan will be officially nominated by Belarus for the Academy's Best Foreign Language Film Award.