A Bitter Taste of Freedom

A Bitter Taste of Freedom (DVD) (*)

Out of Stock

Screened, competed or awarded at:
Montreal World Film Festival

Language Selections:
English ( Subtitles )
Russian ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
Swedish ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
Sweden ( PAL/Region 2 )

Running Time:
86 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.78:1)

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Scene Access

Movie filmed in 2011 and produced in:
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Marina Goldovskaya

Written By:
Marina Goldovskaya

Actors:
Anna Politkovskaya ..... Hersef (archive footage)

Synopsis:

Goldovskaya's film, A Bitter Taste of Freedom, is a soulful homage to her bosom friend Anna Politkovskaya, the fearless investigative reporter who was murdered on her doorstep by an unknown assailant in 2006, presumably for her outspoken criticism of the government-sanctioned war in Chechnya. More revealing than previous films about Politkovskaya, recipient of an Amnesty International Global Award for Human Rights Journalism, A Bitter Taste of Freedom blends bits of contextual archive and in-the-field photos with diaristic footage the filmmaker shot in Anna's home during their many years of heart-to-heart conversations, beginning in 1990. (Goldovskaya became close to Politkovskaya while making A Taste of Freedom about Anna's husband Sasha Politkovsky, a prominent TV journalist known for his frank commentaries on contemporary politics. She tracked him for six dramatic weeks during the height of popular demonstrations in the Soviet Union, when the final vestiges of totalitarianism gave way to the epoch-shifting imperatives of glasnost and perestroika.) Colleagues, family members, former editors and even Mikhail Gorbachev appear onscreen to eulogize the fallen writer and activist, but the film's best moments are with Anna herself, a charismatic presence admirably devoted to both her personal causes and the well-being of her two children, despite the near constant threats on her life.

In her quest to uncover the wrongdoings of the Russian authorities, Anna Politkovskaya inspired awe in some and fear in countless others. An investigative journalist for Moscow's liberal Novaya Gazeta, she was often the only spokesperson for victims of the Chechen War. Hers was a lonely voice, yet loud enough for the entire country to hear. It was too loud. At age 48 she was assassinated for simply doing her job. This documentary is based on Anna's conversations with filmmaker Marina Goldovskaya, Anna's former university professor and personal friend. Shot over a period of 20 years, this exclusive footage creates an incredible story of a woman who consciously gave her life for her convictions.

This product was added to our catalog on Tuesday 10 January, 2012.