Please join the Davis Center and the Russia and Eurasia Program at The Fletcher School for two evening film screenings and conversations about Russia in the 1990s. We will watch The Unfinished Time (2024) and engage with producer Abigail Honor and director Yan Vizenberg. We encourage you to view the film trailer here.
The 10-episode documentary series The Unfinished Time: Russia in the 90s chronicles the defining milestones of Yeltsin’s era through unprecedented access to the people who shaped it. Interviewees include Yeltsin’s family members, government ministers, siloviki, oligarchs, and political party leaders from across the spectrum, such as Anatoly Chubais, Vladimir Gusinsky, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Boris Nemtsov, Vladimir Putin, Grigory Yavlinsky, and Tatiana and Valentin Yumashev, as well as world leaders like former President Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Alexander Lukashenko, and Nursultan Nazarbayev. Nearly 200 people were interviewed for this project, with the documentary unfolding exclusively through their voices. By bringing together diverse perspectives on pivotal events, the series offers an authentic and richly textured portrait of an extraordinary era, further enriched with archival footage, much of it previously inaccessible.
The 1990s were a fleeting yet transformative period, during which a new, free Russia emerged from the remnants of a Soviet totalitarian regime—only to become the prelude to a future no one could have anticipated. The Unfinished Time offers a chance to revisit these turbulent years in all their complexity and, perhaps, gain a deeper understanding of how they continue to shape Russia’s challenging present.
Part V, "The Standoff," will be screened and discussed at Harvard University. The episode focuses on the implications of Boris Yeltsin’s economic reforms and the events leading up to the 1993 constitutional crisis in Russia.
Part VII, "Vote or Lose," will be screened and discussed at Tufts University. The episode reflects on the circumstances of Yeltsin’s reelection campaign in the 1996 presidential election in Russia. Refreshments will be served following the conversation.
Date: Monday, December 2, 2024
Time: 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM ET
Location: CGIS South Building, S010, Tsai Auditorium
Address: 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Date: Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Time: 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM ET
Location: ASEAN Auditorium, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
Address: 160 Packard Avenue, Medford, MA 02155
The Harvard University campus is easily accessed on the T Red Line; however, if you plan to drive to the film screening, metered parking is available on Fulton, Broadway, and Cambridge Streets.
Visitors to the Medford/Somerville campus can park in the Dowling Garage or Cousens Parking Lot. Visitors may pay for their parking sessions via the web portal or payment kiosks.
Sponsorship
The film screening is co-sponsored by the Russia and Eurasia Program at The Fletcher School, Tufts University.
Accessibility
The Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact us at 617-495-4037 or daviscenter@fas.harvard.edu in advance of your participation or visit. Requests for Sign Language interpreters and/or CART providers should be made at least two weeks in advance if possible. Please note that the Davis Center will make every effort to secure services but that services are subject to availability.
