DocHouse presents

‘PUTIN’S PROGRESS’

A DAY OF DOCUMENTARIES AND DISCUSSION

ON THE EVE OF THE RUSSIAN ELECTIONS

SATURDAY 3^RD MARCH 2012

On the eve of the presidential election, DocHouse presents a day of revealing docs and discussion about Russia in the 21^st Century, taking you beyond the news reports and shedding light on post-Soviet life… and Putin’s influence never seems far away 

Taking place at the Rich Mix cinema on 3^rd March, ‘Putin’s Progress’ features the following four outstanding and varied documentaries: 

PUTIN: THE LEAP YEAR  (dir. Vitalij Mansky, Russia, 2001)

Vitali Mansky paints an intimate portrait of the ex-KGB officer at the very start of his presidency.  Later films show Putin’s steely-eyed determinism, but here in 2001, as he assumes his presidency and gets to grips with the Kremlin, he cuts a surprisingly humble and sympathetic figure. 
 

KHODORKOVSKY  (dir. Cyril Tuschi, Germany, 2011)

Once the richest man in the world under 40, billionaire oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky reigned supreme amongst Russia’s elite. But his astonishing fall from Putin’s grace has left him languishing in a Siberian jail on charges of tax fraud and embezzlement.  Digging into the covert world of the oligarchs, director Cyril Tuschi traces Khodorkovsky’s meteoric rise through post-communist society and questions the real reasons behind his dramatic fall.

OUR NEWSPAPER (dir. Eline Flipse, Netherlands, 2010)

UK Premiere Screening

800km east of Moscow, journalist Anrej Shkolni drives across the icy plains of rural Russia, chasing local news stories for the independent paper he has set up, fiercely struggling to maintain his journalistic integrity free from political pressure and government intervention.  Our Newspaper takes us out of Moscow and into the heart of rural Russia - a quiet portrait that speaks volumes about freedom of speech, state control and the media.   


PUTIN’S KISS (dir. Lise Birk Pedersen, Denmark, 2011)

Special Preview

 To Masha Drokova, the pro-Putin youth movement NASHI is the bright, anti-fascist future of Russia; to liberal journalist Oleg, NASHI is a ‘bunch of hooligans’ and much like the Hitler Youth.  Masha’s dedication to Nashi has seen her rise through its ranks, but her faith in its ideology begins to crumble as the darker side of Putin’s fanatical supporters breeds devastating consequences for critic Oleg. 

Confirmed speakers at ‘Putin’s Progress’: 

German filmmaker CYRIL TUSCHI spent five years researching his documentary Khodorkovsky, gathering 180 hours of interviews in Moscow, Tel Aviv, London, New York, Siberia and Berlin.
Series Director of the BBC's recent four-part 'Putin, Russia and the West', Emmy Award-winning director PAUL MITCHELL has worked extensively on films about post-Soviet Russia including 2002's 'Greetings From Grozny'.
EDWARD LUCAS is International Editor of The Economist, having formerly been its Moscow Bureau Chief (1998 - 2002) and writing on Central/Eastern Europe for more than 20 years. His forthcoming book 'Deception is published in March.
FEDERICO VARESE is Professor of Criminology at Oxford University. He is an internationally respected expert on organised crime and his book ‘The Russian Mafia’ won the Ed Hewitt Prize in 2002.
Dutch director ELINE FLIPSE has been directing documentaries since 1982, founding production company Elifli Film in 2005.  'Our Newspaper' won Best Mid-Length Documentary at Hot Docs 2011.