EVENT: February 20 Screening of the Film, “PUTIN’S KISS” in Washington, D.C.

February 19, 2013 JRL Russia List Events, Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2013
From: Sue Dorfman <Sedorf@comcast.net>
Subject: PUTIN’S KISS on 2/20 in DC

Matt Rojansky suggested I contact you to help spread the word on the upcoming screening of the film, PUTIN’S KISS. The film shows on Wednesday, February 20 at 7 pm at the West End Cinema, located at 2301 M St NW Washington, DC 20037.

Rachel Denber, Human Rights Watch’s Deputy Director of the Europe and Central Asia Division, will lead a discussion following the film, which is presented in partnership with 100Reporters and Reporters Without Borders.

Putin’s Kiss is the third film in the DC Human Rights Watch Film Festival (HRWFF), which showcases five feature and documentary films focused on how young people address such human rights challenges as speaking truth to power, thriving while living with HIV, and seeking love and justice. Russia, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Russia, the Gaza Strip and the United States are in this year’s spotlight. The DC HRWFF takes place every Wednesday from February 6 through March 6, 2013 at the West End Cinema.

Putin’s Kiss tells the story of Masha, a 19-year-old who grew up in the Putin era, on her journey through the Kremlin-created Nashi youth movement. This coming-of-age tale focuses on Meet 16-year-old Masha Drokova, an ambitious middle-class student from the outskirts of Moscow. She’s also a commissar and spokesperson for the Nashi political youth movement, which has ties to the Kremlin. After joining Nashi at the age of 15, she moves to the very top of the organization, and is rewarded for her dedication with a university scholarship, an apartment, and even a pro-Putin talk show.

Everything changes when Drokova becomes acquainted with a group of liberal journalists, including popular anti-Putin reporter Oleg Kashin. At first, she remains devoted to Nashi while pursuing tentative friendships with its left-wing critics but when Kashin is brutally beaten by “unknown perpetrators,” she has a genuine change of heart and decides to take a stand.

More information on Putin’s Kiss can be found here http://ff.hrw.org/film/putins-kiss?city=114 and at http://putinskissmovie.com.

You can watch the trailer on the HRWFF site.

More about the whole HRW film festival can be found at http://ff.hrw.org/washington-dc.