Letter to Anna (Eric Bergkraut)

Screens Today, Thu Jun 26: 1 & 6:15

The Human Rights Watch 2008 International Film Festival closes tonight with Eric Bergkraut’s Letter to Anna, a post-death exploration of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya and her work. The general subject couldn‘t be more relevant to today, what it means to write and report on what the government doesn’t want the public to know is something we could all stand to think about.   And Anna, simply by the nature of her story, is a captivating person to learn about.

Anna was a Russian journalist that was assassinated in 2006 (on Putin’s birthday nonetheless). Known for her eye-opening pieces about the Russian War in Chechnya and the numerous human rights violations that were occurring, Anna was always putting herself at risk for her work. She also made a point to focus on how the war was being portrayed to Russian citizens. Her work led to her being used during terrorist negotiations and even to her abduction by Russian troops while in Chechnya. She not only wrote stories, she lived them.

Unfortunately, on many levels the film and thus her story, is quite scattered. With narration from the director in regards to the footage he has of Anna before her death, another narration about the political climate from Susan Sarandon, present day interviews from those Anna knew and lastly actual interview footage with Anna, it’s sometimes hard to focus on the actual information, as you are pushed and pulled in many directions. And while none of this makes the story undecipherable, it does make it hard to get into it. Luckily, the story is one worth working for and after the first 30 minutes or so you adjust to the different streams of storytelling and settle in.

Despite clutter, the film is successful in attempting to not only relay the story of Anna, but also the story behind her work, which is a story we need to hear, especially in here in US where our media continues to clump up and fall under big corporate umbrellas with each passing day. Anna Politkovskaya may not be a household name, but it should be.

If you are in New York City, be sure to check out the film tonight at the Walter Reade Theater. And takepart to learn more about and contribute to the International Women’s Media Foundatio, they honored Anna in 2001 and continue to promote women journalists.

Read on:

• HRWIFF. Letter to Anna. From GreenCine
• Four charged over killing of Politkovskaya
• World Briefing | Europe Russia: Four Charged in Killing of Journalist