Uncovered: Preferences of Belarusian Media Consumption in the Year 2025
In the first half of 2025, Belarus has seen a vibrant cultural scene, with a focus on movies and literature. Here's an overview of the most popular cultural items in the country during this period.
Movies
The most prominent film of the season is "The Black Castle", a modern adaptation of Vladimir Korotkevich's historical detective novel "The Black Castle of Olshany". The movie won several awards, including the Special Jury Prize at the Minsk International Film Festival Listapad 2024, and is still showing in cinemas across Belarus until December 2025[1].
Another notable film is "Batka Minay: The Partisan Legend", a joint Belarusian-Russian historical epic about Minay Shmyrev, a World War II partisan commander. Filming began in August 2025, with Igor Ugolnikov directing and Alexei Kravchenko starring[3].
Music
In the music scene, pop and rap artists dominate on Yandex Music. Artik & Asti, a popular duo, occupy the third spot, and recently released a new single "I'll Wait for You" featuring Stas Mikhailov. Basta leads the music rankings on Yandex Music with a significant margin[2].
Books
While there isn't direct information on popular books in Belarus for the first half of 2025, "The Black Castle of Olshany" by Vladimir Korotkevich continues to influence the cultural scene, given its recent film adaptation[1]. Belarusians seem to have a preference for self-development and psychology literature, as evidenced by the non-fiction book "30 Habits in 30 Days" by Demis Zahariadis, which leads the book rankings on "Yandex Books"[4].
In the literary world, Debbie Tung's "Being Together" is a psychological comic about overcoming relationship crises, while Yu Jin Pom's mystical fantasy "Restaurant 06:06:06" rounds out the top three in the book rankings on "Yandex Books"[5].
The series "Red Meadow", a story about an adventuress who must expose other fraudsters on an elite resort, holds the third spot in the Belarusian ranking on "Kinopoisk," and the second most popular movie is the musical rom-com "Lilacs", about a wealthy heiress on the run who marries a Volgograd lieutenant[6].
References: 1. The Black Castle of Olshany 2. Yandex Music 3. Batka Minay: The Partisan Legend 4. 30 Habits in 30 Days 5. Being Together and Restaurant 06:06:06 6. Red Meadow and Lilacs
Entertainment continues to thrive in Belarus, with "The Black Castle" being the most prominent movie of the season, based on Vladimir Korotkevich's historical detective novel "The Black Castle of Olshany". Additionally, Belarusians seem to have a preference for self-development and psychology literature, as evidenced by the non-fiction book "30 Habits in 30 Days" by Demis Zahariadis.
