It’s a film about people who risked their freedom for the truth — and why their courage still matters today. If you care about free speech, human dignity, and historical honesty, buy us a coffee and help bring this story to the screen. ☕️
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What the film covers (13 core threads)
1. Public Protests — the few on the square against the state: brief actions, loud consequences.
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12. Samizdat & Tamizdat — the underground media machine before the internet: how typewriters outran censors.
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3. Punitive Psychiatry — when repression hides behind “treatment.”
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4. Women Dissidents & Feminist Voices — the often unseen backbone and frontline leaders.
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5. Songs & Bards — the soundtrack of dissent passed from flat to flat.
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6. “Dissident Kitchens” — private spaces that became public spheres.
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7. “Guardian Angels” — lawyers, friends and strangers who helped dissidents survive.
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8. Informers, Betrayals, and the “Repentant” — the moral breakdown under pressure.
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9. Beatings, Poisonings, and Murders — violence as the language of power.
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10. Human-Rights Organizations — from small groups to networks and infrastructure.
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11. Prisons and Camps — the everyday reality of unfreedom: letters, transfers, survival.
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12. Myths about Dissidents — what propaganda claimed vs. what actually happened.
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13. Parallels with Soviet & Contemporary Russia — from samizdat to encrypted chats; from “anti-Soviet agitation” to “foreign agents” and “fake news” charges: what stayed the same, what changed.
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👉 Our pledge
Ethics, fact-checking and clear storytelling – without compromise. We make films that will stand the test of time.
Why now
The memory of dissent is a safety manual for society. Past stories explain today’s pressure tactics and resistance. Our film bridges archive and present to show the continuity of methods and values.
☕ If you want truth to keep its voice, support “The Gene of Dissent” on Buy Me a Coffee. Every cup becomes a minute of honest cinema. Thank you! ☕️
From the author and director of the film "The Gene of Dissent" Ilya Bazhan.
☝️ In the photo: Author and Director of the film "The Gene of Dissent", Chief Editor of "BAZHAN JOURNAL" Ilya Bazhan.
"As in the Soviet Union, Russia has once again embarked on the path of authoritarianism and totalitarianism. Today, as then, dissidents are like a litmus test by which one can determine what is happening to the country.
Dissidents are also diagnostic tools and methods of bloodless struggle against the inhuman remnants of the past.
Our film is a study of Soviet dissidents in parallel comparison with dissidents of modern Russia. A film about heroic people, without whom Russia cannot be peaceful and developing.
Support our work, contribute to the production of the film by buying the team a coffee or making a monthly donation!
Thank you for supporting us! Love you!"