Crimea. The Way Home
| Crimea. The Way Home | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Documentary |
| Created by | Andrey Kondrashov |
| Directed by | Sergey Kraus |
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | Russia |
| Original language | Russian |
| No. of episodes | 1 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 144 minutes |
| Production company | VGTRK |
| Original release | |
| Release | March 15, 2015 |
Crimea. The Way Home (Russian: «Крым. Путь на Родину») is a Russian documentary television film about the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014. The film premiered both on Russian channel Rossiya 1 and on YouTube on March 15, 2015. The film features an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin disclosing various aspects of Crimean crisis. Putin, in particular, revealed that he had taken personal charge of Crimean annexation and that in case of "unfavorable scenario on the peninsula" Russia could have placed its nuclear weapons on combat readiness.[1][2] Before the film's release the Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk asked the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice to send the film to the International Criminal Court.[3]
Premise
In an interview for the film Putin accused the United States for being the mastermind of the armed coup, referring to the 2014 Ukrainian revolution. Putin said he ordered the Defense Ministry to "deploy the special forces of the GRU, together with marine forces and paratroopers".[2] According to Putin, part of the reunion was the deployment of K-300P Bastion-P coastal defense missiles "to demonstrate Russia’s willingness to protect the peninsula from military attack".[2] At the same time, according to Putin, the number of Russian troops in Crimea did not exceed 20,000 permitted under the Kharkiv Pact.[2]
Putin also described how Viktor Yanukovych left Ukraine for Russia following the Ukrainian revolution. Special forces units were deployed on Ukrainian territory to bring Yanukovych safely to the Russian Rostov Oblast.
Production
The film has been produced over the course of eight months in Sevastopol, Simferopol, Kerch, Yalta and other Crimean localities.[4] Aside from Putin's interview, other interviews with participants and witnesses of Crimean crisis were recorded.[4] A total of 398 hours were shot, of which roughly 2.5 hours were chosen for the film.
Reception
According to TNS Gallup Media, on the next day after the premiere the film had a TV rating of 40.6%.[5] In Moscow, the film was watched by over 3 million people.[5] The film was not without its critics in Russia, such as Liya Akhedzhakova[6] and Victor Shenderovich.
The Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Edgars Rinkēvičs said that Putin's words about the Crimean reunion only confirm what was already known or suspected in the European Union.[6]
Awards and nominations
On 25 July 2015, the film was a nominee in the category "TV Event of the Season" at Russia's 19th annual TEFI awards, and won a special jury prize "For the comprehension of contemporary history".[7][8] On 25 August 2015, it received the Grand Prix of the 16th International TV & Cinema Forum "Together" in Yalta.[9][10]
The movie is also translated to German, French, Spanish and Serbian.
References
- ^ ""Путь на Родину" - Путин раскрыл подробности воссоединения Крыма с РФ" (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 15 March 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Putin in film on Crimea: US masterminds behind Ukraine coup, helped train radicals". Russia Today. 15 March 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- ^ "Ukraine calls for Russian documentary on Crimea to be sent to Hague Tribunal". Ukraine Today. 11 March 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- ^ a b "О проекте" (in Russian). Rossiya 1. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- ^ a b "Фильм "Крым. Путь на Родину" в Москве смотрела практически каждая вторая семья" (in Russian). Vesti.ru. 16 March 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- ^ a b "Фильм "Крым. Путь на Родину". Мировая реакция на картину Кондрашова" (in Russian). 24smi.org. 16 March 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- ^ Catherine A. Fitzpatrick (July 2015). "Comedian Zhvanetsky Cut from Television Awards Broadcast". Interpretermag.com. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
- ^ "The President and Crimea. The Way Home at TEFI 2015". VGTRK. 26 July 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
- ^ "Протокол итогового заседания жюри конкурса «Телевизионные программы и фильмы» XVI международного телекинофорума «Вместе»" (in Russian). itcf.ru. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
- ^ "The Film "Crimea. The way Home" entered the top 10 most popular YouTube videos". NewsAboutRussia.net. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.