Interpretation of historical facts in documentary movies about the occupation of Lithuania in 1940 by Soviet troops

ENThe quote above is taken from communication between Vladimir Lenin, leader of Soviet Russia (and leader of the Soviet Union starting in 1922) and Anatoliy I unacharsky, People’s Commissar for Education, the leading Soviet ideologist (after I ettin himself) in 1922. Films were a powerful ideological tool that formed the outlook of Soviet people on the world for generations. Such films have continued to play a role in geopolitical games amongst big powers in different parts of the v orld. The motives behind using the cinematic arts vary from glorifying a country’s achievements and the actions of its statesmen despite severe consequences for entire nations to justifying tough actions taken to cope with a threat. Examples of this are the “war on terror” movies which emerged after 9/11 events in the USA, or the film series designed to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. The aim of this article is to explore how the visual arts, namely documentary films, are used as an element of soft power in Russia’s internal and foreign policy. The proper selection of significant historical events in the country’s history and their interpretation and presentation through the documentary film genre play an important role in influencing people’s minds. At the same time, such films reflect a country’s position on a historical event and project a country’s steps in international affairs. [Extract, p. 373]

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