Putin's Witnesses [FAST]

: It documents the transition from Boris Yeltsin to Putin, starting with Yeltsin’s unexpected resignation on December 31, 1999 .

: Reveals how "heartwarming" scenes, like Putin visiting his former teacher, were carefully staged for public consumption . 🌍 Impact and Availability PUTIN'S WITNESSES (SVIDETELI PUTINA) - AFI FEST Putin's Witnesses

The film is built on unique archive footage Mansky shot between 1999 and 2000 . At the time, he was the head of documentaries for Russian state television and was granted "unnervingly intimate" access to film a propaganda piece for Putin’s first campaign . : It documents the transition from Boris Yeltsin

: The title refers to both the public figures in the film—Yeltsin, Gorbachev, and Putin—and the director himself, who later came to view his own work as an act of complicity in creating Putin's image . 🔑 Key Themes & Scenes At the time, he was the head of