Diplomacy is Andrei Sannikov’s life. In the 1990s, he was instrumental in disarming Belarus and decommissioning the world’s most dangerous nuclear arsenal. Under Lukashenko’s dictatorship, he resigned from the civil service in protest and took the dangerous path of opposition. After the unexplained death of his closest comrade, he ran against Lukashenko in the presidential race. But the elections were rigged, and Andrei Sannikov was arrested, tortured and put in solitary confinement. He now lives in exile in Warsaw, where he continues to fight for his dream of a free and democratic Belarus. But Sannikov has to weigh up every word he says – knowing that people in Belarus could be tortured or killed for it.
Andrei Sannikov
Born in Minsk in 1954 Andrei Sánnikov is a Belarusian politician in exile. Career diplomat in the early 1990s, he headed the Belarusian delegations on disarmament. Being Deputy Foreign Minister he resigned in 1996 as a protest. As an opposition leader he was candidate at the 2010 presidential election in Belarus challenging the dictator Lukashenko.
He was arrested together with his wife, renowned journalist Iryna Khalip, and incarcerated in a Minsk KGB facility for peacefully protesting at a demonstration after the elections. After 16 months in prison, where he went through tortures and death threats, Sannikov was released in April 2012. Since then he has lived in Europe.
Thomas Kràl
DEPARTURES Film ist eine unabhängige Filmproduktionsfirma, die im Jahre 2010 von den Produzenten Undine Filter und Thomas Král in Leipzig gegründet wurde. DEPARTURES Film entwickelt und produziert Kino- und Fernsehfilme für den nationalen und internationalen Markt.
DEPARTURES Film is a film production company established in Leipzig in 2010 by producers Undine Filter and Thomas Král. It focuses on the development and production of high-quality films of first time and established filmmakers for the national and international market.
Gefolgt von Filmgespräch mit / Followed by film talk with Anna von Gall, Andrei Sannikov & Thomas Kràl
Gefolgt von Filmgespräch mit / Followed by film talk with Andrei Sannikov & Thomas Kràl
Andrei Sannikov
Born in Minsk in 1954 Andrei Sánnikov is a Belarusian politician in exile. Career diplomat in the early 1990s, he headed the Belarusian delegations on disarmament. Being Deputy Foreign Minister he resigned in 1996 as a protest. As an opposition leader he was candidate at the 2010 presidential election in Belarus challenging the dictator Lukashenko.
He was arrested together with his wife, renowned journalist Iryna Khalip, and incarcerated in a Minsk KGB facility for peacefully protesting at a demonstration after the elections. After 16 months in prison, where he went through tortures and death threats, Sannikov was released in April 2012. Since then he has lived in Europe.
Thomas Kràl
DEPARTURES Film ist eine unabhängige Filmproduktionsfirma, die im Jahre 2010 von den Produzenten Undine Filter und Thomas Král in Leipzig gegründet wurde. DEPARTURES Film entwickelt und produziert Kino- und Fernsehfilme für den nationalen und internationalen Markt.
DEPARTURES Film is a film production company established in Leipzig in 2010 by producers Undine Filter and Thomas Král. It focuses on the development and production of high-quality films of first time and established filmmakers for the national and international market.
