As part of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2022, the film The New Greatness Case will be screened in New York City on May 24 and 25 with director Anna Shishova and HRW Associate Director of Europe and Central Asia Division Tanya Lokshina in person, and is also available to screen online May 20–27.
As we are witnessing the intensified crackdown on dissent and free expression in Russia, The New Greatness Case brings you into the life of young Russians caught in the crossfire. Anya was an ordinary teenager, discussing Russian politics and social issues on the internet with a group of friends, when a secret agent joined their chat group and rented them a meeting space – pushing them towards direct physical action. Police storm their homes to arrest and jail the teens, accusing them of plotting to overthrow the government and fabricating charges of extremism. Three years later, Anya’s mother, continuing her desperate fight to prove her daughter’s innocence, has transformed from a loyal follower of Vladimir Putin to a hunger-strike enacting political activist. With hidden camera footage, and an intimate relationship with the protagonists, director Anna Shishova shows the complete repression of present-day Russia, and how young, free-thinking people, are seen as a threat to the government.
Tickets for in-person and online screening can be purchased on the HRWFF website. Get a $7 digital ticket to stream any festival film using code RESIST2022 at checkout. Buy Tickets >
We do not want the cost of entry to be a barrier for participation in the festival. If the price of buying a ticket to this film would prevent you from participating, please email filmticket@hrw.org and you will receive an auto-reply email with a free ticket code. We have set aside a set # of tickets per film on a first come first-served basis. Once the free tickets are no longer available, the code will no longer work. For anyone that purchases a ticket, we appreciate your support. Your ticket purchase enables us to make tickets free for those who might otherwise be unable to watch. This also allows the festival to support the filmmakers for sharing their work in our festival and for the festival to cover the cost of hosting the films online.
