PUTIN'S WITNESSES

In the year 2000, director Vitaly Mansky, working for Russian state television, followed the election campaign of a widely unknown figure: Boris Yeltsin’s chosen successor Vladimir Putin. Mansky staged uniquely intimate scenes in the life of the great newcomer – including a visit to one of Putin’s old schoolteachers. Mansky also managed to get close to the Yeltsin family. 18 years later, he lives in exile. His films have long since ceased to be funded by the Russian state. Taking a (self)critical look at his material from back then, the director discerns that no one can claim they were mere “witnesses”. A personal tale about Russian politics, ethics and personal accountability in the process of filmmaking.