Directed by Yuliya Sergina • 2021 • Russia

Yuliya Sergina’s debut documentary charts the unlikely, unruly rise of Viktor Toroptsev, a disgruntled taxi driver-turned-vlogger from the crumbling city of Amursk in Russia’s far east. Sergina’s fittingly rough-and-ready camera captures both the humour and the danger of Viktor’s haphazard crusade against corrupt officials and voter apathy. When his videos catch the attention of a local associate of opposition politician Aleksei Navalny, the stakes for Viktor and his family are suddenly raised. In the words of our hero, “it’s better to be a clown than a slave” – but in modern Russia, not everyone is given the choice.

FAR EASTERN GOLGOTHA • АМУРСКАЯ ГОЛГОФА
Written and directed by Yuliya Sergina
Cinematography by Vladislav Bakhanovich, Arseny Kaydatsky
Featuring Viktor Toroptsev

In Russian with English subtitles