Askold Kurov's bold and compelling documentary chronicles the erosion of press freedom in Russia in the run up to, and during, the invasion of Ukraine.
With unparalleled access, Of Caravan and the Dogs follows a group of independent journalists and activists whose criticism of the war in Ukraine leads to their censorship and exile. ‘There´s such a thing as self-respect’, muses one journalist in a staff meeting called to discuss the ethics of publishing under new, arcane censorship laws. Structured around a countdown to war, the film intercuts tense meetings between newspaper staff with footage of Russian police ransacking media offices, televised broadcasts by Putin, large-scale protests in Russia and on-the-ground footage from an embattled Ukraine. The film is both a powerful exploration of the personal dilemmas of people living under strict repression and a unique perspective on resistance movements within a notoriously hermetic state.