REGISSEUR/AUTOR Pavel Mozhar
PRODUZENT Pavel Mozhar, Kolja Wolle
KINEMATOGRAHIE Jonas Römmig
EDITING Florian Seufert, Pavel Mozhar
TON Ganna Gryniva, Joscha Eickel, Bertold Budig
In the aftermath of Belarus' election, Pavel Mozhar recreates the brutal mistreatment experienced by detainees, shedding light on myriad human rights violations.
Belarus, August 2020: In the aftermath of the presidential election, protests erupt and thousands are apprehended, with over 7,000 arrests made. The detainees recount tales of brutality and abuse endured during their transport and confinement. Filmmaker Pavel Mozhar skillfully translates these disturbing accounts into a factual and scientific "action patterns" of torture, meticulously recreating the detainees’ harrowing mistreatment within the confines of his Neukölln apartment. This experimental setup serves to objectify an unfathomable event, shedding light on the horror of these acts and immersing viewers in the arbitrary violation of human rights. With its unflinchingly sober approach, HANDBOOK emerges as a significant and distressing cinematic endeavor, contributing to an urgent and relevant discourse.
PAVEL MOZHAR (b. 1987 in Minsk) is based in Berlin. With a Bachelor's degree in philosophy & economics from the University of Bayreuth (2012), he has held various roles within the film industry. In 2015, Mozhar commenced his Master's degree in directing, specializing in documentary formats, at the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf.
