The events of the film begin on 31 December 1999 when Russia was acquainted with its new President Vladimir Putin. The film is based on unique and strictly documentary testimonies of the true causes and consequences of the operation “Successor”, as a result of which Russia ended up with the President who still rules the country. The protagonists of the film are Mikhail Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin, and the Russian nation, as always being a silent witness of its own destiny.

Direction: Vitaly Mansky

Script: Vitaly Mansky

Production: Natalia Manskaia

Co-Production: Gabriela Bussmann, Filip Remunda, Vit Klusak

Cinematography: Sergey Miroshnichenko, Vitaly Mansky, Pavel Suhov, Alexandr Dolgin, Vladimir Bashta, Yuriy Ermolin, Vyacheslav Sachkov

Editing: Gunta Ikere

Sound: Anrijs Krenbergs

Original Score: Karlis Auzans

Original Title: СВИДЕТЕЛИ ПУТИНА

Original Language: Russian

Film Production Countries: Latvia, Switzerland, Czechia

Website: http://manski-doc.com/en/films/putinswitnesses

Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/Putins-witnesses-%D0%A1%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B8-%D0%9F%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0-Putina-liecinieki-1603983783057967/

Statement of the Director/s
To overcome a grave and far-advanced illness it is necessary to make a diagnosis and to study the history of this illness. That was my logic when I conceived a film about the events, which followed the unexpected resignation of Russia’s president Boris Yeltsin and the start of "Operation Successor". I was witness to and participant of this operation, which brought Vladimir Putin to the Moscow throne. My testimony is very important not only for the Russian society – to cure it from an advanced disease, but also for other countries – to prevent them from losing their freedom.

Biography of the Director/s
Vitaly Mansky was born in 1963 in Lviv /Ukraine, USSR.
He graduated from VGIK — All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography in 1989 and became one of the most prominent contemporary Russian documentary filmmakers and producers. He has shot more than 30 films as a director which were screened at festivals world-wide and were awarded several times. As a producer, Vitaly produced films with directors like Renata Litvinova, Alexander Rastorguyev, Sergey Miroshnichenko, Dmitry Zhelkovsky, and Sergei Loznitsa.
In 1996, he launched a project that aims to archive amateur private video files that were shot in the times of the former USSR (from the 30s till the 90s).
Vitaly Mansky is the producer of the national Laurel Leaf award for the best Russian documentary films. He is also the founder and president of Artdocfest — Russian Open Documentary Film Festival for Russian-language creative documentaries.
Since 2014 Vitaly Mansky lives and works in Latvia.

Filmography of the Director/s
Filmography:
2018 PUTIN’S WITNESSES
2016 CLOSE RELATIONS
2015 UNDER THE SUN
2014 THE BOOK
2013 PIPELINE
2011 MOTHERLAND OR DEATH
2009 NIKOLINA GORA. EPILOGUE
2008 VIRGINITY
2008 DAWN / SUNSET. DALAI LAMA 14
2006 WILD, WILD BEACH
2005 GAGARIN’S PIONEERS
2003 ANATOMY OF T.A.T.U.
2002 BROADWAY. BLACK SEA
2001 TRILOGY ‘RED TSARS. PRESIDENTS OF RUSSIA’:
GORBATCHEV. AFTER THE EMPIRE
YELTSIN. ANOTHER LIFE
PUTIN. LEAP YEAR
1999 PRIVATE CHRONICLES. MONOLOGUE
1995 BLISS
1993 CUTS OF A RECURRENT WAR
1991 LENIN’S BODY
1990-1995 ETUDE ABOUT LOVE
1990 POST
1988 BOOMERANG

Awards Won
Karlovy Vary IFF 2018, Czech Republic (Grand Prix for Best Documentary)
Stockholm IFF 2018, Sweden (Bronze Horse Award for Best International Documentary)
FIPADOC Biarritz 2019, France (Grand Prix for Best International Documentary)

Production Company:
Vertov
Natalia Manskaia
Šarlotes iela 7-20
Riga, 1001, Latvia
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +371 2 880 53 15

World Sales:
Deckert Distribution GmbH
Hanne Biermann
Gottschedstr. 18
Leipzig, 04109, Germany
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +49 341 215 66 38
Website: https://deckert-distribution.com/

Press:
Vertov
Natalia Manskaia
Šarlotes iela 7-20
Riga, 1001, Latvia
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +371 2 880 53 15