MEMORIAL / Liquidation
original title: MEMORIAL / Liquidation
2025, 60 min., color, Russian-English
COUNTRY: France
PRODUCTION : BUDGET : 200 000 euro
CREW
Director s : Screenplay : Vasily Bogatov, Taisiya KrugovykhCinematographer : Vasily Bogatov, Taisiya Krugovykh
Producers : Vasily Bogatov, Taisiya Krugovykh
COMMENTS
FESTIVALS: Cottbus Film Festival 2025 (World Premiere)
DIRECTOR’S NOTES: Since 2011, we have directed several documentaries on political and social issues exposing state violence. During this time, we joined Memorial.
When Memorial received the liquidation notice, we realized we had to film the process — it was a historic moment signaling a major shift in Vladimir Putin’s regime. It marked the complete dismantling of Russian civil society.
This documentary shows Memorial’s liquidation through the eyes of its members — capturing moments of uncertainty, fear, joy, and despair — culminating in Orlov’s imprisonment. Our camera is embedded in the action and attentive to the internal states of those filmed. We strive to show reality as it is — without embellishment or voiceover narration.
We indirectly portray the Russian state through its agents: judges, police, and FSB. Filming Memorial’s liquidation reveals how Russian justice now wears the cloak of fascism under a veneer of legality.
By linking historical memory to contemporary events and highlighting the personal experiences of Memorial’s members, the film illustrates the collapse of civil society and the authoritarian turn that has intensified during the Russian-Ukrainian war.
SYNOPSIS
The film opens with archive footage of the “Returning the Names” ceremony, held annually by Memorial at the Solovetsky Stone, across from the former KGB headquarters. People read aloud the names of their relatives who were executed during the Great Terror. Among the participants, we also see opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
The narrative then follows the events surrounding the dissolution of the human rights organization in Russia’s Supreme Court. Supporters who gather at the courthouse in solidarity with Memorial are detained by the police and imprisoned.
The film captures the secret evacuation of Memorial’s archives — which contain information on Stalinist repressions, dissidents, and Soviet-era executioners — as well as the farewell to the organization’s office, which was seized by court order.
The start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine is shown through the eyes of the film’s protagonists — members of Memorial. During a Memorial press conference on the first day of the war, lawyer Ilya Novikov appears via video link from Kyiv as the city is being bombed by Russian forces.
Oleg Orlov heads to Red Square with an anti-war and anti-fascist placard. He and another Memorial staff member Irina Galkova are arrested by police.
In the following scene, police raid Memorial’s office. Special forces in black uniforms and masks block all entrances, preventing anyone from entering or leaving. Memorial staff attempt to speak with the masked officers. Finally, deep into the night, the security forces leave, taking all computers with them. The Memorial team manages to re-enter the office to find it ransacked and the walls defaced with the letter “Z”.
Memorial is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. After the ceremony, Oleg Orlov takes the stage and calls for unwavering support for Ukraine.
After receiving the Nobel Peace Prize Oleg Orlov is put on trial for “discrediting the Russian armed forces.” During the proceedings, he learns of Alexei Navalny’s death in prison. Despite an obvious threat to his freedom — and his life — Orlov continues to stand firm in his beliefs. He appears for his sentencing, and the court sends him to prison.