85' 2019 Netherlands, Belgium director: Masza Nowikowa cinematography: Vladas Naudzius editing: Srdjan Fink production: Cerutti Film, Zeppers Film
Following the end of the second Chechen war, the protagonist of Masha Novikova’s film, the dancer and teacher Ramzan Ahmadov, created a song-and-dance ensemble in Grozny called Daymohk, which was to show the world Chechnya’s peaceful side. Under the dictatorship of Ramzan Kadyrov, however, a man who bases his strongman rule on an ambiguous alliance with Russia, Daymohk became yet another propaganda tool for the authorities—alongside the MMA fights that Kadyrov likes so much, another part of a new Chechen mythology whose principles have nothing to do with pacifism. This nostalgic, beautifully made film captures the stifling atmosphere of contemporary Chechnya perfectly, while, at the same time, prompting reflection about the fate of ideals in a world ruled by the principle that might makes right.
