Playing out contrasting examples, the documentary deals with a visa barrier between Belarus and Lithuania. It cut through not only national borders but also the lives of main characters living on the borderland. Their stories, though quite distinct, are similar in one aspect: all of them have to go through a great deal of trouble to realise their right to freedom of mobility over the border which had materialised there not so long ago.
What strikes in this film is that narratives of villagers from the borderland and an EHU (Belarusian university in exile in Vilnius) alumna are intertwined with expert‘s commentaries. Many of the people who were filmed for the documentary attended the screening and took part in the discussion that followed. And this fact gave hopes for positive changes. Especially, since amongst those present were representatives from the Belarusian embassy in Lithuania and from several EU countries – Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Sweden, Spain – as well as Lithuanian MFA officials.
“If we stay idle and if we don’t talk about, if we do not ask straight forward questions this situation [on the borderland] will only get worse. Current status quo with visas is not beneficial for both Belarus and the EU,” said Vadim Vileita, a JuBIC board member and one of the film creators. He also stressed that EU and Belarusian functionaries, who have instruments to resolve the problem, are the main target audience of the film.
Andrei Shvets, a Belarusian embassy in Lithuania secretary, agreed with the previous statement. Stressing geographical, historical and cultural proximity of Belarus and Lithuania he called upon the mutual cooperation of both officials and civil society in both countries.
The discussion that followed after the screening proved that the borderland problem was not only omnipresent but it also inflicted pain and grief upon the lives of ordinary citizens of Belarus and Lithuania. However, the fact that these people had a possibility to have their voices heard, even by a limited audience of those present for the screening, was a first step towards finding a positive solution.
