This year, WATCH DOCS inaugurates a new permanent program section, "Close-up" which presents films concerning a selected world region. The human rights situation in a given area will be examined in a broader cultural, social and political context. Q&A sessions, debates and photography exhibits will accompany the screenings. This year's "Close-up" will explore documentaries devoted to states rising from the ruins of the Soviet Union.
The dissolution of the USSR, following Eastern Europe's people's spring of 1989, stoked great fires of hope throughout the world. At the outset of the 1990s, it seemed Russia had in fact democratized. The initial euphoria quickly gave way to disappointment. The new Russia was symbolized by the ruthless pacification of Chechnya, which brought Vladimir Putin to power. How strong are the antidemocratic processes and how deep has the authoritarian model of power entrenched itself in some of the post-Soviet states?
This premiere edition of "Close-up" on post-Soviet states includes documentaries by masters such as Victor Kossakovsky ("The Belovs"), Siergiej Dvortsevoy ("Bread Day") and Viktar Asliuk ("Waltz"), as well as newer productions that show the former republics from the Western perspective. The latter examine the present situation on the crumbled empire's periphery ("The Pier of Apolonovka", "Elder Blossom", "From the Heart of Odessa"), reflect on freedom of speech and persecution of journalists in today's Russia ("211: Anna"), and show the training camps for Putin's youth groups ("Nashi"). Two short films on the Caucasus round out the program by examining human rights violations in Chechnya ("Missing Lives") and the 2008 war in Georgia ("Speechless"). This post-Soviet cornucopia also offers a lively film about one of the most renowned Russian rock bands in recent years ("Leningrad. Man Who Sings").
