Today, we have a very special #docoftheday – the winner of our “Willy Brandt Documentary Award for Freedom and Human Rights” 2019: NOVAYA by Askold Kurov. The documentary was awarded for its intimate observation through a discreet, inconspicuous camera lens. No staging, no lecture, no commentary - the images we see speak for themselves and bring us closer to a group of heroic advocates of freedom of the press and opinion. It is now available online.
We interviewed Askold Kurov for you and asked him about his inspiration and how became a documentary filmmaker. His answers provide exciting insights into an extraordinary life.
Director: Askold Kurov
Country & year of production: Russia | 2018
Length: 75’
Language: Russian with english Subtitles
Recommendation on April 1, 2020: Novaya
“Novaya Gazeta” is one of the first independent publications of post-Soviet Russia and one of the last remaining today. It specializes in investigative reports and is a three times Nobel Prize nominee. Since 2000, five journalists and a lawyer of the editorial board have been murdered. NOVAYA is a peephole into the daily work of their colleagues, giving us front row seats during one of the hardest period of the paper‘s life. How will they respond to the kidnapping of one of their editors? How far will these journalists go in their search for truth, potentially endanging their own lives or the lives of their loved ones?
Laudatee Willy-Brandt-Documentary Award for Freedom and Human Rights awarded in 2019 in cooperation with the Bundeskanzler-Willy-Brandt-Stiftung .
One last thought from our side for today: The corona virus is spreading at breakneck speed, forcing us in Europe too to take drastic measures to contain the pandemic. While we are urged to stay at home and avoid social contact, the aid workings all over the world are preparing for the worst. The virus could become life-threatening, especially for people suffering from acute malnutrition – the poorest of the poorest. We also need to support them! #leavenoonebehind
Our in the field colleagues from Action against Hunger are in high alert status and taking all necessary precautions to contain the spread of COVID-19 while keeping their life-saving programs up and running in some of the poorest countries in the world. You can read more about their work and support them here.
