Only a few Chechen Rebels left to fend for a “bombed out, fired out” city. Russian tanks speed through the city.

You need to know how to speak or read German to understand this documentary. But “Coco: The Dove From Chechnya” offers never before seen footage from Chechnya through the lens of a Chechen civilian. For years Zainap Gashaeva has been documenting what is a daily occurrence in her home country of Chechnya: abduction, torture and murder. What President Putin deems “anti-terrorist action” looks increasingly like genocide. The world stays silent, be it out of helplessness, ignorance or opportunism. We follow Gashaeva, nicknamed Coca – the dove – as she fights for an international tribunal.

Crying Sun: The Impact of War in the Mountains of Chechnya is another remarkable documentary outlining the horrors, reasons, and results of the protracted Russian military campaign in the Caucasus region of Chechnya.  Crying Sun tells the story of people from the Chechen mountainous village of Zumsoy and their struggle to preserve cultural identity and traditions in spite of the protracted military engagement, kidnappings, and killings by the Russian army.  It features attacks by guerilla fighters, and subsequent displacement and it’s effects on the villagers. By helping to articulate the voices of Zumsoy villagers in the public and policy spheres, the video calls on local and federal authorities to end impunity for human rights violations and to restore policies for the return of mountain villagers to their ancestral homes. In the international advocacy fora, the video will help bring visibility to calls for justice in Chechnya.

Sample of “Crying Sun: The Impact of War in the Mountains of Chechnya”