Listopad 2025: One day left until the main autumn event

On October 31, the capital of Belarus will begin writing the history of the 31st Minsk International Film Festival "Listopad." Representatives from over 30 countries will gather under the slogan "History that Changes Perspective." Minsk Film Autumn will run from October 31 to November 7.

The capital's cinemas will welcome residents and guests daily as part of the Listopad International Film Festival. A total of six venues in the capital will be involved in the festival.

In 2025, the Listopad movement brought together participants from 41 countries. For the first time, short films will be included in the main competitions.

The event's broad geography is worth noting: directors from the USA, Iran, India, Brazil, Russia, France, China, and many other countries will present their films. A total of 120 countries have submitted applications for participation.

The film forum will officially open its doors in The Palace of the Republic. The festival enters its fourth decade with the film "Turning Point" by Belarusian director Dmitry Soroka.

During the international forum, 20 domestic films will be presented in the national competition. Films from Mogilev, Gomel, and the Brest region will be brought to the capital. Safar Khakdodov, Chairman of the Union of Cinematographers of Tajikistan, will chair the judging panel for the national competition.

Safar Khakdodov, Chairman of the MIFF "Listopad" jury:

"There are more than 5,000 festivals in the world, and every year, about a thousand disappear without a trace. One, two, three, four years later, they die, but a thousand more festivals appear. For 31 years, Listapad has been the face of Belarus. It's a brand, and that's a significant asset. The organizers, the state, and the Government of Belarus put their heart and soul into the festival."

Ruslan Chernetsky, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Belarus:

"Over 3,500 applications were submitted, almost 4,000 of which were received." Overall, I can't imagine how our committee managed the festival's shortlisting, but they did, so the program promises to be very interesting. In addition to the competition program, there will be other events—creative meetings, master classes, etc. This year, we'll see a very interesting festival."

"Even in a debut film, not everything may be technically perfect, for example, but it's clear that the person had an approach, that they thought it through, and genuinely tried to create something close to art—a thought, an idea. And sometimes a professionally well-made film, impeccably crafted, fails to grab the attention, lacks anything. Therefore, every book, like a book or a film, should be captivating," noted Rita Shagrai, a member of the MIFF "Listopad" jury.

You can catch the film signal from the opening ceremony of the international forum on the evening broadcast of the Belarus-3 TV channel. The broadcast begins at 9:05 PM.