«Uniting for the Future»: A Film-Lecture Series by the Belarusian State Archive of Film, Photo, and Sound Documents

National unity is the foundation of the country’s independence. National Unity Day has become a symbol of the Belarusian nation’s cohesion, the continuity of generations, and historical memory. It is a relatively new holiday with deep historical roots, highlighting the trials faced by the Belarusian people and demonstrating their integrity and solidarity on the path to establishing a sovereign state.

At the initiative of staff from the Belarusian State Archive of Film, Photo, and Sound Documents (BGAKFFD), the «Uniting for the Future» project was organized ahead of National Unity Day; it consists of a series of film-lectures for institutions and organizations in the city of Dzerzhinsk.

From September 15 to 17, 2026 — leading up to National Unity Day and as part of the national «Archives for Schools» campaign — M.V.Garelik, Deputy Head of the Document and Information Utilization Department, conducted a lecture and film screening for 9th–11th grade students at Gymnasium No.1 and Secondary School No.4 in Dzerzhinsk.

Students were shown a presentation—created using photographic records from the BGAKFFD collections—covering the Red Army’s liberation campaign in Western Belarus and the region’s incorporation into the BSSR in 1939.

On September 16 and 18, information sessions were held for conscripts of the Logistics Support Group for Border Service Agencies, as well as for the command and officer staff, as part of the routine dissemination of orders and information. Chief Curator of Collections M.D.Romanova spoke about the history of the holiday, highlighting the special role played by the 16th Dzerzhinsky Border Detachment in guarding the state border established following the Peace Treaty of Riga.

Participants in the «Uniting for the Future» project events were shown the film «Reunification». Produced as part of the «Open Film Archive» project, the film focuses on the events of September 1939 and the incorporation of Western Belarus into the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic.

1. Presentation by M.V.Garelik, Deputy Head of the Department for the Use of Documents and Information at BGAKFFD, to students of Gymnasium No.1, Dzerzhinsk.

2. Presentation by M.V.Garelik, Deputy Head of the Department for the Use of Documents and Information at BGAKFFD, to students of Gymnasium No.1, Dzerzhinsk.

3. Screening of the film «Reunification» for students.

4. Presentation by M.D.Romanova, Chief Curator of Collections, to conscripts of the Logistics Support Group for Border Service Agencies.

5. Presentation by M.D.Romanova, Chief Curator of Collections, to conscripts of the Logistics Support Group for Border Service Agencies.

6. Presentation by M.V.Garelik, Deputy Head of the Department for the Use of Documents and Information at BGAKFFD, to students of Secondary School No.4, Dzerzhinsk.