"Civil Assistance" demonstrates a documentary on the war in Chechnya in Russia

A film festival dedicated to the life of refugees in modern Russia has been completed. Employees of the  "Civil Assistance" Committee showed the few visitors of the Moscow club "Gerry Rubin" a number of films shot by young film directors together with some human rights organizations. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent attended the presentation of the documentary on the war in Chechnya, titled "Three Friends" which concluded the festival. Maria Novikova, film director, a young emigrant, assisted by "International Amnesty" employees, shot a film which, according to Svetlana Gannushkina, "everyone should go through."

"I should very much like Russians to learn that normal people live there (in Chechnya - "Caucasian Knot"). During these years, the Russian propaganda has made Russian people think that only bandits live in Chechnya, that they are all monsters. I often hear the opinion that they should all be shelled so that no Chechen remains alive," said Maria Novikova a year ago in an interview to Radio "Liberty". The film director was sure at the time that the film was not going to be shown in Russia.

The film "Three Friends" containing unique scenes and a new, unofficial, truth about the Chechen war, when shown for the first time in March 2006 at Amsterdam film festival, shook the spectators.