May 4, 2011
On May 2, 2011 a new documentary Khodorkovsky by the German film-maker Cyril Tuschi was presented by Institute of Modern Russia at the Wooly Mammoth Theatre in Washington.
The premiere took place during World Press Freedom Days – an international event that brings together journalists from all over the world to discuss most acute problems and major challenges that the media community faces in their professional life.
Screening of the Khodorkovsky documentary attracted not only journalists but also officials from US Congress and Department of State, fellows and analysts from Washington-based think tanks and NGOs, and a number of the Russian expatriate community. The film was introduced by Pavel Khodorkovsky, president of Institute of Modern Russia, and by Cyril Tuschi, film director.
Special guests David Kramer, executive director of Freedom House and former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, and Thomas Melia, current Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, made remarks on the importance of the release of Mikhail Khodorkovsky for the future of US-Russia relations.
After almost two-hour run of the extended documentary, covering the fate of Mikhail Khodorlovsky, former Russian oil tycoon turned number one political prisoner in Russia, Ben Smith, political journalist and blogger for the American news outlet Politico, opened the floor for discussion. Both Pavel Khodorkovsky and Cyril Tuschi answered the audience’s questions along with Bruce Misamore, former Yukos CFO, and Karinna Moskalenko, one of Russia's leading human rights lawyers.
