DUSHANBE, November 17, 2011, Asia-Plus  --   The documentary film, “Mikhail Gorbachev, Confidential” is premiering in Paris today.   Mille et Une is an organizer of the event.

The filmmaker Gulya Mirzoyeva says Mikhail Gorbachev cannot attend the premiere for health reasons.  “His press secretary, Vladimir Polyakov, is attending the premiere in Paris,” she said.

The documentary is unique in that Gorbachev himself provided interviews for the film, so it promises a personal perspective that you don’t always get to see.”

The film focuses on the life of Mikhail Gorbachev and his experience holding the reins of power in the USSR during the late ‘80s until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.  Gorbachev received the Nobel Peace prize in 1990 for his role in peace talks changing the relationship between Eastern and Western countries, namely the USSR and the United States.

Gulya Mirzoyeva was given exceptional access to Gorbachev and reveals several in-depth interviews about his beginnings in the Communist Youth League, his entrance into the Communist Party in the early 1950s, and his rise in the party, from secretary of a regional committee to president of the USSR in 1989.

The film is a wonderful and interesting experience for those interested in history, international relations, filmmaking and journalism, as well as a variety of other disciplines.

The fill is expected to premiere in Moscow in late December. 

Gulya Mirzoyeva is a native of Tajikistan and began making documentaries in 1989.  Her prior work includes a range of documentary shorts, full-length documentaries and TV documentaries.

It is to be noted that the documentary made its worldwide debut on the Beloit campus on September 26, in the Wilson Theater.  The event, sponsored by the Modern Languages and Literature department, was part of the Beloit College Asian Studies Colloquium.  Specialists note the documentary is not narrated and Director Mirzoyeva relies on the use of interview and media footage to portray an honest and raw Gorbachev going through serious self-reflection.  The director’s voice feels muted, and viewers must develop their own interpretation of Gorbachev’s personal sense of legacy. In its essence, “Mikhail Gorbachev, Confidential” comes across as detailed introspection of an important international figure whose legacy continues to grow, as Gorbachev remains an active figure in international politics.