CONVICTIONS
Убеждения
Dir.: Tatiana Chistova
2016 | 61 min
Poland, Russia
Shooting location: Russia
In 1987, United Nations Commission on Human Rights approved the Resolution on Conscientious objection to military service based on “thought, conscience and religion”. In Russia, the right to have an alternative civil service was guaranteed for the first time by the 1993 Constitution.
According to the law, the right to object to the military service is not limited to the believers. Other citizens may declare that their personal convictions (pacifist, philosophical, moral, ethical, political) are incompatible with military service. Those serving the alternative service work as librarians, hospital attendants, archivists, circus and theatre workers etc.
Sounds great – the peaceful labour is wonderful. However, there is one problem: once you come to the enlistment office, you have to prove that your convictions are indeed what you say. It is up to the draft board to decide what do you really believe…
Four stories of young men’s encounters with army recruitment commissions. Ardent pacifist Roman is sent through a series of humiliating court trials. Losha and Viktor endure long and condescending deliberations that undermine their personalities. Finally, LGBT movement veteran, Johnny is bluntly rebuked and handcuffed. All are put to test by a bureaucratic machine that doesn’t sympathize with those who dispute the purposiveness of military service.
A sneak peak into what it really means to stand up for one’s beliefs in a re-militarized society that punishes conscientious objection under criminal law.
The film is screened in Russian with English and Latvian subtitles.
Tatiana Chistova is Russian director and screenwriter born in St. Petersburg. Graduated from St-Petersburg University (Philological department, Master’s degree). Worked as assistant director in Lenfilm production studio. As 1-AD worked with world-famous Russian directors as Alexander Sokurov, Sergey Bodrov, Alexey Balabanov. Made an archive research for TV3 (France) AMIP production company and was an assistant in “Downfall” directed by Oliver Hirschbiege. Later graduated Higher Courses for Film Directors in Moscow (the department of directing of feature and documentary movies) and started to write and direct her own films since.