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Volia Chajkouskaya

@chajkouskaya

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Not Made For Politics documentary
Filmmaker @allfilm_filmstudio @voliafilms
Founderess @northernlightsff
Belarus born, Tallinn based

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🎬 Дзённiк фiльммэйкеркi

💶 Днямi мы атрымалi пацверджанне, што нам далі фiнансаванне на production ад галандскакiх Hubert Balls Fund i Netherlands Film Fund на новы фiльм Дашы Жук па гiсторыi Танi Замiроўскай ‘Менавіта тое, чым здаецца’.

😎 А таксама з майго прадзюсарскага боку эстонскія грошы ўжо in place.

Так што марудна, але верна мы рухаемся наперад. Трымайце за нас кулачкі.

📸 мы з Дашай і Таняй у Нʼю-Ёрку некалькі год таму. by @chajkouskaya

World and international premieres of my film NOT MADE FOR POLITICS took place yesterday at Tallinn Black Nights FF PÖFF | @tallinnblacknightsff and Nordic Film Days Lübeck @nordicfilmdays !

And the interview is out too.

Thank you to the festivals and my team! 😍🙏🏼🥹🎬
More photos are coming soon. by @chajkouskaya

Ok, now taking off my producer’s hat, putting on a director’s hat and smashing the imposter syndrome. After travelling to film festivals my directorial debut documentary Not Made For Politics, the film I have been working on for 5 years and that premiered almost a year ago at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, is finally released on HBO Max!

The film marks the first-ever Estonian HBO documentary co-production and it’s the first HBO film directed by a Belarusian female director.

It took mega effort, risk and patience from me, my dear team and main protagonists to bring this film to life. Watch, share, support, and speak about Belarus!

🤍❤️🤍

When the leading opposition candidates were imprisoned and silenced ahead of the election, it seemed that the democratic opposition had lost its chance. It was then that women stepped into the spotlight. The film follows Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Nadzeya Zeliankova, and Masha, each of whom, in her own way, became a prominent face of the pro-democracy movement and resistance to the regime of Aliaksandr Lukashenka, who remains in power to this day. Following the 2020 presidential election, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across the country demanding dignity, freedom and democratic change.
However, Not Made for Politics is more than a story of political resistance. It is also a deeply personal account from director Volia Chajkouskaya herself, a Belarusian filmmaker living in Estonia. Over five years of filming, the project evolved from a chronicle of historic events into a profoundly personal journey of overcoming fear, silence and the experience of exile.

The documentary captures two parallel transformations: the awakening of Belarusian civil society led by women, and the filmmaker’s own transformation from observer to active participant in the story. Through moments of hope, helplessness and perseverance, it demonstrates that courage knows no borders and that the fight for freedom can change not only the fate of an entire nation but also the identity of an individual. by @chajkouskaya

Come celebrate the short film Mari, Sweetie, directed by Vivian Säde, with us at Terminal Records & Bar!

We'll kick things off with a screening of the film, followed by music by Lisanna Kuningas (@liskuningas) — set list inspired by the world of Mari, Sweetie.

Immerse yourself in the film's world a little longer, enjoy the music, and have a glass of wine on us!

WHEN: Wednesday, 11th November 2026, at 20:30
WHERE: Terminal Records & Bar
ENTRY: €5 at the door*
*Free entry with an official invitation sent via email or a flyer.

The event is presented by Allfilm and Moondustfilms.

18+ only by @chajkouskaya

🤍❤️🤍 Belarus at a Crossroads - ciné-debate 💬”Not Made for Politics” with special guest Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

What does it take to keep fighting for democracy when the cost is personal - and how do women find the courage to resist when their loved ones are imprisoned?

In “Not Made for Politics”, filmmaker Volia Chajkouskaya follows three women at the heart of Belarus’s democratic struggle: opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and Nadzeya and Masha, whose husbands became political prisoners. Filmed over five years, their stories intertwine with the director’s own experience of fear, silence and exile.

The documentary offers an intimate look at the role of women in the struggle for freedom in Belarus, the power of solidarity and the personal cost of resistance.

💬 The screening will be followed by a debate with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of Belarus’s democratic forces and Luxembourgish politician Paul Galles, exploring the future of the democratic movement, the role of women in the struggle and documentary filmmaking as an act of resistance.

🎬 NOT MADE FOR POLITICS | Volia Chajkouskaya / @chajkouskaya | Estonia, France, USA | 2025 | 90’

🗓️ Wednesday, 21 October | 19:30
📍 @neimenster

🎟️ Tickets available via link in bio

#CinEast #CinEast2026 #CinEastFestival #NotMadeForPolitics #Belarus #Cinédebates #DocumentaryFilm #CEECinema #CinemaInLuxembourg #FilmInLuxembourg by @chajkouskaya

Mari, Sweetie is premiering at PÖFF Shorts! 🌊

We’re very happy to announce that the film will play in the National Competition at @poffshorts this November.

See you (and your inner children) at the cinema! by @chajkouskaya

My film Not Made For Politics is also available on ARTE France. ARTE is one of the co-producers of the project thanks to our French producer @christian_j_popp

Recalling amazing and challenging time in Paris editing my directorial debut, which too around 2 years and 5 years to make this film in total. by @chajkouskaya

So excited to share the news! I have been selected for the @obamafoundation Leaders Europe program!

Honoured to be part of such an inspiring community and looking forward for all the learning and bonding time together.

Launched in 2020, the Leaders Europe program builds upon the legacy of the Obamas and their deep commitment to the region, with a focus on shared values and ethical leadership. The program is creating a network of leaders who drive innovative change in their communities throughout the continent and across the globe. The 2026-2027 cohort of 35 EuropeLeaders comes from 21 countries and works across a broad range of focus areas, including democracy and civic engagement, human rights and social inclusion, climate and energy, arts and culture, and technology and information integrity.

https://www.obama.org/programs/leaders/europe/2026-2027/volia-chajkouskaya/ by @chajkouskaya

Recently I have been super paranoid about public communication for various reasons. First and foremost, security. Since my social media is labeled as extremist in Belarus, I worry that what I post - is just me voluntarily giving information into the hands of whoever is monitoring my social media. This makes my answers and posts sometimes too generic. But it is what it is.

Secondly, AI. Whatever is out there - is going to be used by AI to create new identities, recreate our identities or for some sort of statistics, surveillance and so on.

Thirdly, it annoys me that we live in such a difficult world, that media is (like all of us) trapped to deliver articles and headlines that could engage as many people as possible. And unfortunately often times it affects the common sense, quality and security in a bad way. Plus, some other aspects of how media works in exile and in XXI century, but it’s a whole other story.

Despite all of it, I could not say no to dear fellow journalists from Radio Liberty this time. Read the interview in the comments down below.

And - do you also think about these things? Share with me, I am dying to discuss it!

Photo by T. N. by @chajkouskaya

Revealing the story behind the title of my documentary film Not Made For Politics.

Now available on HBO Max @hbomax

Go watch it!
#notmadeforpolitics by @chajkouskaya

З Аляксандрам Мілінкевічам на Рок-каранцыі 2005.

А неўзабаве перад прэзідэнцкімі выбарамі 2006 мне споўнілася 18 гадоў і я атрымала права галасаваць. Здагадваецеся, за каго.

Спачуванні родным і блізкім. Светлая памяць. by @chajkouskaya

My little one is 1 year 3 months already. And if motherhood thought me something is to let go.

I dived into motherhood fully and passionately, taking it as a producer almost 😅 Motherhood is a project. Life-long project. And it’s hard to express the level of my admiration and gratitude, when I see the results of choices I made on this path: breastfeeding, co-sleeping, being present for my child and letting go (for some time at least) career ambitions and the need to be in a constant hurry for deadlines or film travels. However, honestly sometimes I miss it so much!

But being present for my baby creates magic and unforgettable moments for me, him and our entire family for the whole life ahead. In this non-stop rush of a modern life it’s important to not let go of the sacred, the most important. To actually be able to define this sacred for yourself. To feel it and to live through it mindfully and joyfully. It’s like being in a reciprocal conversation with eternity.

I feel sometimes like a character of some Nordic film I might have screened within @northernlightsff . And that is, by the way, going through a lot of transformations right now due to all the reasons described above, but also due to a severe continuous political persecution back in Belarus.

My film is deep, almost animal-raw story of a woman, filmmaker and an activist, who was just born into a mother.

They say in psychology that one treats one’s child as one’s inner child. It helps me to keep the right direction in motherhood, career and life in general no matter how hard all of this could feel sometimes. by @chajkouskaya