Thanks to Content Fund support, a new generation of independent media voices, ethical storytellers and content creators have been able to produce pluralistic and balanced content in Russian. With the support of the Content Fund’s network of production executives, these media partners have enhanced their production and editorial skills and capacity.
Testimonial: Martha Ardashelia, Sova News, Georgia
“The funding for Post-industrial Kids was Sova’s first ever funding for non-news content creation, which led to our first ever production of this kind. The reception and recognition of the series was beyond our expectations. The project has become a milestone for Sova’s team. Post-industrial Kids has become a statement from Sova that we are not a small group of media enthusiasts, but a team of media professionals.’’
At the heart of everything the Content Fund does are the needs of the diverse Russian-language audiences across the region. This selection of innovative Content Fund productions demonstrates the value of truth-based storytelling that reflects real life.
Tales of Soviet Repressions, Coda, Georgia
With dignity and honesty, victims of the Gulag talk about their memories of Soviet repressions, their stories partly illustrated through animation. The series became the One World Media Finalist in the Digital Media Category and received an honouree mention at the Webby Awards.
When Flowers Are Not Silent, Belsat TV, Poland
A 90-minute observational documentary about families caught up in the harsh security crackdown following the falsified election results of 2020 in Belarus. A deeply moving human story about the hope for freedom. This film won Best Documentary Feature at the Warsaw Film Festival 2021 and continues to garner international awards and accolades.
#IAmCrazy, OstWest, Germany
Four people, four mental disorders, one city, and one psychotherapist. #IamCrazy, a two-season Russian-language reality show about mental health set in Berlin, broke the taboo of mental disorders, and went viral in the Runet. It won First Prize at the Moscow Docu-Mental Film Festival in 2020, and participated in a number of other festivals and competitions.
War: Witnesses and Us, Spektr, Latvia
Fakes and propaganda have become an integral part of Russia’s war in Ukraine, so Levada Center and Spektr jointly conducted a study on how Russians consume information about the war, what they trust and what they agree with without hesitation – and the results are really surprising. The findings of this survey are discussed by experts in 6 podcasts, each featuring the main character who tells their personal story of being a victim of Russia’s War in Ukraine, fakes and propaganda.
