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OUR NEW PRESIDENT

Synopsis

It all begins with Hillary Clinton and the curse of the Siberian mummy princess… A trip down the rabbit hole of fake news, Our New President is a satire about the Russian media and its take on American politics. Moving between Kremlin-controlled network news and colorful reinterpretations of this news diet by average Russians, the film charts Trump's election using footage produced by Putin’s propaganda machine. Overseen by Dmitry Kiselyov, host of the most watched news program on Russian television, a media empire works overtime to sabotage Hillary Clinton while celebrating Donald Trump. Moving through Trump's first year in office, one piece of fake news at a time, the film compiles material produced by three channels: Russia-1, Russia Today, and the formerly independent network, NTV. A film about the news that is entirely devoid of true statements, this is a portrait of modern-day propaganda and its dissemination across the world. Brace yourself for the “true” story of OUR NEW PRESIDENT.

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The Filmmakers

Maxim Pozdorovkin Director and Producer

Maxim Pozdorovkin is the director of five documentaries and multiple shorts. His films include THE TRUTH ABOUT KILLER ROBOTS (2018, HBO), PUSSY RIOT: A PUNK PRAYER (Sundance 2013 Jury Prize) and THE NOTORIOUS MR. BOUT (Sundance 2014). His documentary CLINICA DE MIGRANTES (HBO) was nominated for a 2016 IDA Award. Maxim hold a PhD from Harvard University for a dissertation about early propaganda. Next, Maxim is directing HOW TO ROB BANKS FOR DUMMIES, a hybrid documentary about cult video artist Joe Gibbins.

Joe Bender Producer

Joe Bender is a producer and cinematographer whose award-winning films have screened in festivals around the world. He most recently shot and produced THE TRUTH ABOUT KILLER ROBOTS (HBO), which premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, and produced OUR NEW PRESIDENT, which premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival where it won a Jury Award. His previous film as Director of Photography, CLINICA DE MIGRANTES (HBO), was nominated for an IDA Award in addition to winning multiple festival prizes. He holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Charlotte Cook

Charlotte Cook is a producer, curator, and writer from London, based in New York. Charlotte is a Co-Founder and Executive Producer of Field of Vision, a film unit that commissions filmmakers and artists to make short form, episodic and feature length creative visual journalism.

Festivals & Awards

Sundance Film Festival

2018

Winner - World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Editing

Hot Docs Film Festival

2018

Official Selection

CPH:DOX

2018

Winner - In Competition F:Act Award

Sheffield Doc/Fest

2018

Official Selection

Full Frame Documentary Film Festival

2018

Official Selection

Big Sky Documentary Film Festival

2018

Official

Rooftop Films Summer Series

2018

Official Selection

Reviews

You may think you know about fake news, but nothing compares to the coverage of our election on Russian TV. It starts with Hillary Clinton's exposure to a cursed Siberian mummy princess and gets even more head-spinningly bizarre.”

-Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

A Sundance filmmaker has made a movie about the Russian propaganda machine, and it is terrifying.”

-Steven Zeitchik, The Washington Post

Revealing and impishly infuriating.”

-Owen Gleiberman, Variety

OUR NEW PRESIDENT is a treasure trove of strange finds…[A] wild documentary.”

-Nick Allen, RoberEbert.com