Russia/Chechnya: Voices of Dissent This is the second notable collaboration between Vanessa Redgrave (renowned actor and human rights activist) and her son, Carlo Nero, the first being ‘The Fever’ (2004) which also starred Angelina Jolie and Joely Richardson. ‘Russia/ Chechnya: Voices of Dissent’ is a documentary telling the story of the protracted war in Chechnya from the perspective of Soviet and current Russian dissidents. The contributors draw comparisons between the Chechen invasion and that of Czechoslovakia in 1968 which also attempted to suppress opposition and dissent but instead created a political climate in which acts of terrorism became more frequent and the region became more, not less, unstable.
I’m Still Here Based on Alexander Zapruder’s award-winning book, ‘Salvaged Pages: Young Writers’ Diaries of the Holocaust’, Oscar-nominated director Lauren Lazin’s film combines both archive and original footage, personal photographs and text from the diaries themselves to tell the stories of the young writers who recorded their first hand experiences of living through one of the darkest periods in European history. With a score by Moby and voiceovers from Eiljah Wood and Kate Hudson (among others), it’s no surprise that ‘I’m Still Here’ ihas MTV involvement; if this moving piece is a promo for anything, however, it’s the clarity and courage of the voices of the diarists and the continuing relevance of their stories today.
