The Trial. The State of Russia vs Oleg Sentsov

It has been three years since Ukrainian director and Euromaidan activist Oleg Sentsov disappeared during a demonstration in Simferpol. Arrested and sent to Russia, he was sentenced in 2015 to 20 years in prison on terrorism charges. Numerous calls for his release have been made by the European Film Academy and the American PEN Club, among others, but they have not had any impact thus far. In a letter smuggled out of Siberia-where he is serving out his sentence-a few months ago, the director wrote about himself and other political prisoners:If we're supposed to become the nails in the coffin of a tyrant, I'd like to become one of those nails. Askold Kurov's documentary covers Oleg Sentsov's trial, as well as how his family, friends, and international organizations have been fighting for his release. In our view, there is no clear evidence for the absurd charges against the director (who supposedly organized terrorist attacks in Crimea); bribed "witnesses" provide false testimony and the Kafkaesque trial ends with a conviction- all the injustice is captured on-camera.