Russian Lessons

A personal investigation into the war between Russia and Georgia in 2008 by activist film makers Andrei Nekrasov en Olga Konskaya. They filmed at the front lines and compared their images with the official version put forward by the Russian authorities, which was swallowed by western media.

After Rebellion: The Litvinenko Case and Disbelief, that could both be seen at previous editions of the festival, Andrei Nekrasov once again treats a Russian taboo. Together with his partner Olga Konskaya he is the first to thoroughly investigate the 2008 Russian-Georgian war.
The film makers head towards the front line in Ossetia from two directions, Nekrasov coming from Georgia and Konskaya from Russia. Based on their own footage, confronting eye-witness reports from civilians and the official images that were released by Russia at the time, they shed new light on the conflict and the manipulative manner in which Russian media covered it. As they plunge into the subject, they discover a forgotten genocide.

Russian Lessons is the directing debut of Olga Konskaya, who died shortly after the film was completed.

Andrei Nekrasov is one of the ten human rights defenders featured in the A Matter of ACT main programme and will attend the festival.