Casting for cameo roles and crowd scenes for short film Geroevsky has taken place in Miory. The film about a children’s partisan group operating in the territory of Belarus during the Great Patriotic War focuses on the lives of four orphan friends. It is the first such fictional work by documentary filmmaker and TV director Anton Boiko, based on real stories told by veterans.
During shootings of the Geroevsky film
About 20 young residents are to participate in the crowd scenes and several children from the Miory District have been chosen for supporting roles. The auditions were advertised via social networks, and conducted on location in the Minsk Region. Ordinary children from across all regions took part.
Mr. Boiko explains, “We gave all the children the chance to prove their talent and, perhaps, their once in lifetime opportunity to appear in a film. The project proclaims to the world film industry that Belarus can shoot an excellent fiction film, with talented actors, experts, suitable locations and beautiful countryside. Yelnya reserve was chosen for having the largest marshes in Belarus: it’s a unique natural site.”
The film is conceived as a charitable project, involving people from the film industry, businessmen, simple fans of cinematography and, vitally, real patriots. All, including well-known Russian and Belarusian actors, are working on a voluntary basis.
Geroevsky is to be released in 2015, marking the 70th anniversary of Great Patriotic War victory. It will then participate in film festivals across the CIS and Europe, before being shown in cinemas. Mr. Boiko hopes to make a full-length film and a 4-episode serial if the project receives necessary support.
By Veniamin Mikheev
