Ada Gallery

The residents of Hiermanavichy in rural Belarus can barely make ends meet. Ada Raichonak is a former teacher who spends her retirement trying to alleviate people's misfortune by organising an annual festival. She invites artists from all over the country to come to Hiermanavichy to paint in the open air, and then hangs the results in her improvised gallery. Under the motto "Beauty influences people," she sits at her computer making preparations until deep into the night; in between milking cows, she's on the phone trying to mobilise her fellow villagers. No easy task, considering state control can be felt even this far from the capital. President Lukachenko's voice blares constantly on the radio, and after all, what do you need art for when you've got other things to worry about? Despite Lukachenko's promises that life will improve for the farmers, reality reveals the contrary. While Ada is busy arranging the artists' accommodations, the problems that plague the rural population unfold: alcoholism, economic malaise, the exploitation of farmers, and depopulation of the village. Can Ada's festival really offer a ray of hope?