- The New Greatness Case offers remarkable access to a group of young Russians entrapped by the secret service, resulting in unjust trials and prison sentences - echoing the intensified crackdown on dissent and free expression in Russia we see on the news every day. 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.—(Human Rights Watch Film Festival)
- Anya (17) was an ordinary teenager who dreamed of making life in Russia better. In March 2018, she was arrested and incarcerated on fabricated charges of extremism. Three years later, her mother continues her desperate fight to prove her daughter's innocence.—Autlook Filmsales
- The story of Anya Pavlikova, found guilty of being a member of a subversive terrorist organisation, emphasises Russia's emergence as a state of fear and coercion. In August 2020, a group of young Moscovites were found guilty of 'creating an extremist community'. Labelled 'New Greatness', the six defendants met in a chatroom where they shared their feelings about the Russian government's anti-democratic policies. An undercover FSB agent joined the conversation, encouraging more extreme responses and proposing radical action. Anna Shisova's powerful film details what happened next for Anya and her family, chronicling the pressure placed upon them, alongside Anya's mother's unwavering belief in her daughter's innocence. Ultimately, the film is a chilling portrait of the intensified crackdown on dissent and free expression in Putin's Russia.—Sheffield DocFest
- This incredibly brave and strong film tells the story of young Russians that are arrested and accused of conspiring to overthrow the government on the basis of fabricated evidence. The director brilliantly analyzes and depicts the crackdown on the freedom of expression and the freedom of assembly in Russia. She also shows the different explicit and implicit forms of violence in a country where systematic human rights violations are the norm and echoes of Stalinist repressions are felt in everyday life. The jury felt strongly that - especially during the Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine - this film deserves a special jury mention. (Jury statement, Human Rights Dox Award)—DokuFest, International Documentary and Short Film Festival, Prizren, Kosovo
- One moment she's sitting at the kitchen table playing a game with her mother, the next she's in a courtroom, trembling in a glassed-in box. The life of Russian teenager Anya changed overnight, in March 2018. Along with nine other young people, she was arrested on suspicion of forming an extremist group with plans to overthrow the government. With an unembellished style, and a sparse commentary that connects the dots, The New Greatness Case-winner of the IDFA Forum Award for Best Rough Cut in 2021-dissects how these ordinary youths with modest dreams for the future were cunningly lured into a trap by the Russian security service. At the same time, the film is a compelling portrait of Julia, Anya's mother, whose life is turned completely upside down by her daughter's arrest. Reluctantly, she transforms herself into an activist, fighting a political system that will use any means necessary to nip even the slightest dissidence in the bud.—IDFA
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