Boris Yeltsin

Open details →

What it felt like to live through the collapse of communism and democracy. A series of films by Adam Curtis.

Open details →

Moscow, January 1996. Boris Yeltsin gets ready to run for a second mandate of the presidency of the young Russian Federation. Polls are in the single digits. A painful economic transition, war in Chechnya, and the rise of criminal groups have left the majority of Russians dissatisfied with Yeltsin… and willing to vote for the communist leader Gennady Zyuganov. Yet six months later, Yeltsin won the election with nearly 54% of the vote. How did that happen?

Open details →

Open details →

In 1991, the great power the Soviet Union split and ceased to exist. In the same year, Finland's economy plummeted into a historic recession. In the documentaries, Esko Aho, who became prime minister in 1991 and his contemporaries, talk about the storm that our small country experienced during that year. Editor Tapio Nurminen leads discussions about the dramatic year's consequences for today's Finland and international relations.

Open details →

The strange case of Mikhail Khodorkovsky — once believed to be the wealthiest man in Russia — who rocketed to prosperity and prominence in the 1990s, served a decade in prison, and became an unlikely martyr for the anti-Putin movement.

Open details →

Documentary montage film by Alexander Vartanov, a subjective look at the beginning of the 21st century in Russia

Open details →

Russian Federation, December 31, 1999. After President Boris Yeltsin's unexpected resignation, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin becomes acting president of the country. From that day and for a year, Vitaly Mansky's camera documented Putin's rise to power. The story of a privileged witness. The harsh explanation of the reason why politics is the art of possibility of achieving the best with the support of many, but also of giving the worst in return.

Open details →

It’s the last dictatorship of Europe, caught in a Soviet time-warp, where the secret police is still called the KGB and the president rules by fear. Disappearances, political assassinations, waves of repression and mass arrests are all regular occurances. But while half of Belarus moves closer to Russia, the other half is trying to resist…

Open details →

Open details →

A documentary about Boris Nemtsov, a prominent figure of Russian political opposition and an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin. Nemtsov was murdered in Moscow in February of 2015.

Open details →

A story told by those who knew Boris Nemtsov at different times: when he was a young scientist and took his first steps in politics; when he held high government offices and was considered Boris Yeltsin's heir apparent; when he led Russia's democratic opposition to Vladimir Putin.

Open details →

Open details →

15 years ago, the Swedish defense took time out to become more modern and sharper. Today, the outside world and politicians are amazed at how little was left. What actually happened?

Open details →

Open details →

Khodorkovsky, the richest Russian, challenges President Putin. A fight of the titans begins. Putin warns him. But Khodorkovsky comes back to Russia knowing that he will be imprisoned, once he returns. When I heard about it, I asked myself: why didn't he stay in exile with a couple of billions? Why did he do that? A personal journey to Khodorkovsky.

Open details →

An investigation of "disaster capitalism", based on Naomi Klein's proposition that neo-liberal capitalism feeds on natural disasters, war and terror to establish its dominance.

Open details →

Open details →

Individual freedom is the dream of our age. It's what our leaders promise to give us, it defines how we think of ourselves and, repeatedly, we have gone to war to impose freedom around the world. But if you step back and look at what freedom actually means for us today, it's a strange and limited kind of freedom.

Open details →

A journalist from Berlin, Germany, and a Swedish lawyer discover the truth behind the sinking of the "MS Estonia" in 1994, where more than 850 people drowned.

Open details →

He has been called both a democrat and a drunk, a dictator and a czar. For most of a decade, he undertook the seemingly impossible task of dragging his giant nation to the center of global politics and economics. Boris Yeltsin's political career is similar to that of President Lincoln, who was born in a log cabin and rose to the White House. A former construction foreman, Yeltsin survived numerous crises to remain in control of Russia since the collapse of communism. Despite rumors of illness, strong opposition, and questionable decisions, he never lost an election. Travel with us to Russia to see an intimate portrait of one of the world's most contradictory leaders.

Open details →

Communism spread to all of the continents of the word, lasting through four generations and over seven decades. Hundreds of millions of men and women were affected by this political system, one of the most unjust and bloodiest in history. Using newly discovered propaganda films and archival photos, these four episodes explore the mysteries of this totalitarian political machine that lured its share of important followers into the fold. Known as the red church, communism seduced its ardent followers like some earthly religion.

Open details →

Elvis Gratton, dead for three days, comes back to life.

Open details →

The four—part documentary about the first president of Russia is an attempt to understand the controversial personality of Boris Yeltsin without bias. Relatives and friends, allies and opponents tell about his actions in critical situations, about how decisions were made that determined the fate of the country. In addition to the official chronicle, the film uses unique footage of departmental and amateur filming, as well as testimonies from people who have always avoided publicity.

Open details →

Historic Russian battles to repel invaders serve as prelude to the story of events that redrew the map of Eastern Europe and parts of Asia in the 20th century. Following the turmoil of the Bolshevik Revolution, Communist Russia faces the venom of Nazi aggression. 1940's film footage reveals the harsh reality of total war, as the Red Army and Soviet civilians alike confront a brutal and tenacious enemy. The following decades are darkened by tensions between the USSR and foreign powers, and violent measures taken to silence voices of dissent. Finally, the Soviet people's yearning for a freer society leads to accelerating reforms and the ultimate dissolution of the USSR.

Open details →

A spoof of the British news — including ridiculous stories, patronising vox pops, offensively hard-hitting research and a sports presenter clearly struggling for metaphors. Adapted from Radio 4 series 'On the Hour'.

Open details →

Eldar Ryazanov in conversation with Boris Yeltsin.

Open details →

Documentary film about ethnic cleansing in the Prigorodny district in October-November 1992.

Open details →

A crazy documentary about the dawn of occult movements related to the expectation of the end of the world, after the collapse of the USSR!

Open details →

The acclaimed documentary series from 1991 that examined political in-fighting in the Soviet Union and the battle for perestroika.

Open details →

The second film by Sokurov featuring Boris Yeltsin as the principal character. Now he is the President of Russia, invested with power, bearing the full responsibility for the destinies of his distant compatriots as well as his closest kin and friends.

Open details →