Dochouse Films
Sian Glaessner | 03.02.2004 12:10 | London
One powerful film about Chechnya
One view of life in Post Soviet Kyrgyzstan and
The Boy who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan
upcoming screenings from DOCHOUSE at the Ritzy and the Other Cinema
One view of life in Post Soviet Kyrgyzstan and
The Boy who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan
upcoming screenings from DOCHOUSE at the Ritzy and the Other Cinema
DocHouse Ritzy, Thursday February 5th at 6.45pm.
Followed by a Q&A with George Fitzherbert, director of Sto Novovo
Prisoner of the Caucasus
Germany/Poland / 2002 Director: Yuri Khashchavatski
Sun. February 1st at The Other Cinema 4pm
Thurs. February 5th at The Ritzy 6.45pm
A searing anti-war essay on the Russian-Chechen war - one of the most brutal yet under-reported of current conflicts. A collection of graphic footage from freelance camera people is interwoven with Tolstoy's writings, penned during his own stint in the Russian army, fighting Chechnya 150 years ago. Tolstoy asks 'why they are fighting'. The answer seems no clearer now than it was then. All that's changed, it seems, is the level of brutality.
And Sto Novovo, An Elegy For the Union
UK / 2003 / with subtitles Director: George Fitzherbert
The winds of change blow through a remote community living in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. This beautifully observed film looks at life since the Russians have left the country, and the once modest rural economy is now steered towards market capitalism. However while the rural areas suffer from the loss of subsidies, the fortune of those living in the city is very different. Market forces have also brought change there, but mostly for the better. The film offers unique insight into this universal dilemma.
Next screening:
The Boy who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan
UK / 2003 Director: Phil Grabsky
Sun. February 15th at The Other Cinema 4pm
Thurs. Feburary 19th at The Ritzy 6.45pm
Phil Grabsky will be present for a Q&A
In Afganistan the giant Buddhas may have gone, destroyed by the Taliban, but life goes on for the refugees who squat in the nearby caves - even if there is nothing to live on, now that the tourists have also gone. The Taliban may have been replaced by the Americans 'liberators', but finding fuel to keep warm in winter is what preoccupies them most. The breathtaking landscape is strewn with rubbish and most shops and houses have been destroyed, but even though their situation is dire the children still make it their playground.
Followed by a Q&A with George Fitzherbert, director of Sto Novovo
Prisoner of the Caucasus
Germany/Poland / 2002 Director: Yuri Khashchavatski
Sun. February 1st at The Other Cinema 4pm
Thurs. February 5th at The Ritzy 6.45pm
A searing anti-war essay on the Russian-Chechen war - one of the most brutal yet under-reported of current conflicts. A collection of graphic footage from freelance camera people is interwoven with Tolstoy's writings, penned during his own stint in the Russian army, fighting Chechnya 150 years ago. Tolstoy asks 'why they are fighting'. The answer seems no clearer now than it was then. All that's changed, it seems, is the level of brutality.
And Sto Novovo, An Elegy For the Union
UK / 2003 / with subtitles Director: George Fitzherbert
The winds of change blow through a remote community living in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. This beautifully observed film looks at life since the Russians have left the country, and the once modest rural economy is now steered towards market capitalism. However while the rural areas suffer from the loss of subsidies, the fortune of those living in the city is very different. Market forces have also brought change there, but mostly for the better. The film offers unique insight into this universal dilemma.
Next screening:
The Boy who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan
UK / 2003 Director: Phil Grabsky
Sun. February 15th at The Other Cinema 4pm
Thurs. Feburary 19th at The Ritzy 6.45pm
Phil Grabsky will be present for a Q&A
In Afganistan the giant Buddhas may have gone, destroyed by the Taliban, but life goes on for the refugees who squat in the nearby caves - even if there is nothing to live on, now that the tourists have also gone. The Taliban may have been replaced by the Americans 'liberators', but finding fuel to keep warm in winter is what preoccupies them most. The breathtaking landscape is strewn with rubbish and most shops and houses have been destroyed, but even though their situation is dire the children still make it their playground.
Sian Glaessner