Date Night with Vladimir Putin
The Academy Award-winning film director Nikita Mikhalkov once said, “Cinema is the most powerful weapon.” In Russia, it’s a weapon wielded to excise uncomfortable truths about its Soviet legacy in favor of unifying the Russian people under a shallow, state-manufactured conception of national greatness. Russia needs heroes—that’s true. But under Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian regime, the Russian people don’t write the story. The Kremlin does.
Putin’s “movie wishlist” will tell you a lot about the narrative he wants to spin. Each year, Russia’s Ministry of Culture publishes a list of themes that filmmakers need to focus on if they want state funding. …read more
Source: Victims of Communism
