Coca: The Dove from Chechnya

It is estimated that in the ten years of the Chechen-Russian conflict, 20 to 30 percent of the Chechen population has been killed. Chechen women have been hiding hundreds of videotapes in empty flats, in the ground or in apartments of Russian friends where the police will not search. The tapes will one day be taken out of the country to serve as evidence in a trial of crimes against humanity; at least that is what the main characters of this film hope for. The central figure is the brave, daring woman Zainap Gashaeva, who was born in exile in Kazakhstan. She used to be a businesswoman and nowadays is traveling with her small video camera to devastated places and refugee camps, in order to document every single tragedy happening in tens of thousands of Chechen families. She mainly talks to women and children, encouraging them to fight for their rights. This complex documentary also discloses the corruption in politics and manipulation at the highest level, and reveals the background of the deals between the Russian and Chechen governments. It looks at the role of international mediators and Western politicians and questions human conscience in general. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)