Under the cover of parades and propaganda, Russia is moving in the direction of full- blown war. Among the masses, however, there are some who believe that change is possible. Young activists and experienced opposition figures, tramps with a taste for philosophizing, and excommunicated priests – do they have any chance of stopping the spread of tyranny?

This documentary film, shot over the course of four years in the city of Yekaterinburg, takes a hard look at the absurdity of life in Russia, where the bulk of the population dreams of restoring the empire’s might. Only a handful of desperate individuals attempt to resist Putin’s relentless plans.

“The Last Relic”, directed by Marianna Kaat, is a timely and deep study of the roots and motivations that lie behind Russia’s aggressive behavior. The film also paints a sweeping picture of the propaganda manipulations employed in Russia today.

Writer and director Marianna Kaat, Cinematographer Kacper Czubak (Poland), Editor Jesper Osmund (Denmark), Sound designer Israel Bañuelos (Mexico- Estonia), Composer Lauri-Dag Tüür. Film is produced by Baltic Film Production in coproduction with Ten Thousand Images (Norway).

Film was supported by Estonian Film Institute and Estonian Cultural Endowment. With the support of the Creative Europe Programme – MEDIA and Fritt Ord Foundation. A Grant for this film was provided by the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program with support from Open Society Foundations and Sundance Institute.

The film’s world premiere will be part of the competition program at Canada’s Hot Docs Film Festival in Toronto.