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The Russian Newspaper Murders
Thursday, July 8, 2004
During the last five years, more than a dozen journalists have been killed in Russia, yet none of their murderers has been brought to justice. Facing fierce political and economic pressure, Russia's few remaining independent journalists risk their lives to expose organized crime and government corruption. WIDE ANGLE examines the industrial city of Togliatti, whose main automobile factory is allegedly run by corrupt oligarchs and where killings attributed to organized crime occur nearly every week. In 2002, Valery Ivanov, editor in chief of the Togliatti Observer, the city's only independent newspaper, was shot to death after reporting on local corruption. Eighteen months later, Alexei Sidorov, Ivanov's successor at the newspaper, was stabbed to death. This film reports on the risks that journalists run in modern-day Russia and explores the tangled web of wealth, power, and politics that defines Russia today.
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Executive producer Leslie Woodhead's films have been broadcast on major networks including PBS, HBO, BBC, and Channel 4 (UK). His recent production, SREBRENICA: A CRY FROM THE GRAVE, won awards at the Banff TV Festival and the Amsterdam Film Festival. For WIDE ANGLE's first season, Woodhead produced and directed "Media by Milosevic," an investigative account of Slobodan Milosevic's control over the news media. His film ENDURANCE, portraying the life of an Olympic Gold Medal long-distance runner, was released theatrically in the US and Europe. In 1994, Queen Elizabeth appointed Woodhead as Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his excellence in television production.
Producer Christine Camdessus, the founder of Alegria, a Paris-based production company, has executive produced FAITES DE L'INTERNET, QUEEN OF SHEBBA, RAPHAELLE AU PAYS DES MISS, L'EUROPE SANS LOIS, LES JUGES, L'EUROPE ET LES AFFAIRES, GREEDS IN THAILAND, and other documentaries. Previously, Camdessus was CEO and head of business and legal affairs for GAUMONT TELEVISION.
Director Paul Jenkins has made many films in Russia, including the award-winning SOLDAT, a documentary about life in a Russian barracks. Collaborating with Leslie Woodhead, Jenkins coproduced "Media by Milosevic" for WIDE ANGLE and coproduced SREBRENICA: A CRY FROM THE GRAVE. Most recently, Jenkins directed SLAVES OF THE SWORD, a three-part biography series about Ariel Sharon, Moshe Dayan, and Itzhak Rabin for the BBC, ARTE, and Channel 8 (Israel).
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