951053
951053

Not Made for Politics

2025-11-08 et 89m
Documentary
For Estonian-based filmmaker Volia Chaikouskaya, the 2020 Belarus uprising was not just news – it was personal. While thousands in Minsk rose up against the brutal regime of Alexander Lukashenko and rallied behind opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Volia felt the same pulse across borders. Unable to return home, she became both observer and participant, organising solidarity actions in Tallinn and gradually stepping into her own film as a subject. At the heart of the story are three women – Sviatlana, Nadzeya, and Masha – whose husbands were jailed as political prisoners and who themselves emerged as central figures of the movement. Their fearless defiance against dictatorship mirrored Volia’s own struggle to break free from the inherited fear of silencing, repression, and exile.

Director

Volya Chaykovskaya

Producer

Ivo Felt

Producer

Volya Chaykovskaya

Producer

Marius Markevicius

Producer

Christian Popp

Director of Photography

Epp Kubu

Status

Released

Countries

  • Estonia
  • France
  • United States of America

Companies

  • Allfilm
  • YUZU Productions
  • Sorrento Productions