# A Belarus documentary wins at Venice

> Five lives under state repression carried a Belarusian director to a Golden Globes prize at Venice.
- Title: A Belarus documentary wins at Venice · Variety | Shortify
- Summary: Five lives under state repression carried a Belarusian director to a Golden Globes prize at Venice. The Golden Globes Impact Prize rewards documentary work…
- Keywords: documentary, venice film festival, belarus, golden globes, film awards, entertainment, culture, wins, Venice, Variety
- Source: Variety — https://variety.com/2026/film/festivals/letters-from-silenced-country-golden-globes-impact-prize-1236858484
- Author: Nick Vivarelli
- Published: 2026-09-12T21:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: documentary, venice film festival, belarus, golden globes, film awards, entertainment, culture
## A quiet film takes the prize
Andrei Kutsila's "Letters from the Silenced Country" won the Golden Globes Impact Prize for Documentary at the Venice Film Festival.
## Five lives, one country
The film follows five people in contemporary Belarus whose ordinary lives were broken apart by state violence and political repression.
## The director behind it
Kutsila is Belarusian, filming his own country from inside a system that punishes the act of recording it.
## Who gives the award
The Golden Globes present the prize in partnership with the Artemis Rising Foundation, a funder focused on social impact storytelling.
## What the jury looks for
It goes to a documentary in the official Venice selection that raises a key social issue with both journalistic rigor and craft.

> calls attention to a key social issue with journalistic and creative prowess
## A collateral award at Venice
The prize sits outside the main competition as a collateral impact award, handed out during the 2026 festival.
## Key takeaway

The Golden Globes Impact Prize rewards documentary work that puts a social issue on the record, and this year it went to a film about life under Belarusian state violence.