An intimate journey into the lived reality of human rights, shaped by decades of relationships with the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski from Belarus – supported by the women who stand by his side. Bialiatski’s presence emerges through the voices of those who have lived and worked by his side for decades. The focus is on human rights activists Natalia Pinchuk, Bialiatski’s wife, and his closest colleague Sasha Koulaeva. Through memories, everyday gestures and years of shared experiences, they show what it means to stand by someone when history goes round in circles rather than moving forward. The film moves through places shaped by authoritarian experiences, from Belarus to Tunisia to Colombia, and follows a recurring rhythm of hope, exhaustion and return that connects human rights defenders across borders and generations. Also featured are Nobel Prize-winning author Svetlana Alexievich and the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Berit Reiss-Andersen.

Director: Eimantas Belickas
Screenplay: Alexandrina Glagoljewa, Yury Butsko
Lithuania 2026, 70 mins, Original version with English subtitles

Austrian premiere at the Innsbruck Journalism Festival
In the presence of Ales Bialiatski and screenwriter Alexandrina Glagoljewa