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Khodorkovsky director Cyril Tuschi in conversation with Luke Harding Khodorkovsky director Cyril Tuschi in conversation with Luke Harding
(40 minutes later)
Mikhail Khodorkovsky was a symbol of the new Russia - the richest man in the world under the age of 40 - until he fell foul of president Vladimir Putin and was imprisoned in Siberia on charges of tax evasion. In the wake of Russia's 2012 presidential election, Khodorkovsky's sentence is now under review and the suggestion is he may be freed. LH: I love how you appear in the film, looking haggard and rough, with the Moscow pallour, getting turned away and with no cooperation from the Kremlin. How tough was it to get this film made?
CT: I didn't want to go down the Michael Moore route,which feels like a cheap trick sometimes. But I started keeping a video diary, which was the only way to tell the story and show the blank wall of resistance that I was encountering.
CT: I heard about Khodorkovsky and it sounded like a great Greek drama. From the highs to the lows, and the clash of these two titans. I wanted to do it as drama, but it didn't work out that way. Plus I could speak no Russian, so it was tough. So I started to research in Russia, which took about four years.
Cyril Tuschi: It's certainly interesting, but we're looking at tea leaves. Is it a good cop/bad cop act? Or is this Medvedev's last chance to leave office in dignity That's the positive interpretation.
LH: You're more optimistic than I am. Now maybe tell me about your own personal background as a German film-maker tackling this subject.
Luke Harding: Of all the days to see this film, this is the day: Vladimir Putin back in the Kremlin for another eight years or 8000-years. And I'm delighted to have Cyril Tuschi here tonight. I think this is a tremendous film. I wanted to start out asking you about Dimitry Medvedev's announcement that he is reviewing Khodorkovsky's sentence.
6.29pm: The guests have gathered, the wine is being consumed. The interview is about to begin.
6.20pm: In the wake of Vladimir Putin's tearful victory speech in Russia, the Guardian welcomes the film-maker Cyril Tuschi, in conversation with Guardian writer Luke Harding, ahead of a screening of the controversial documentary Khodorkovsky.
Tuschi's film charts the rise and fall of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who made billions from the privatisation of Russian's state assets in the 1990s, only to run up against the implacable Putin. Since 2005, Khodorkovsky has been languishing in a Siberian prison, six time zones from Russia, after being convicted of tax evasion and "stealing 350m barrels of oil". Yet many argue that Khodorkovsky's real crime was in funding opposition to Putin and in publicly challenging the Russian president over alleged corruption at the Kremlin.
Tuschi will be interviewed by Luke Harding, the Guardian's former Moscow correspondent and author of the acclaimed book Mafia State. The conversation kicks off at 6.30pm.
1.00pm: Mikhail Khodorkovsky was a symbol of the new Russia - the richest man in the world under the age of 40 - until he fell foul of president Vladimir Putin and was imprisoned in Siberia on charges of tax evasion. In the wake of Russia's 2012 presidential election, Khodorkovsky's sentence is now under review and the suggestion is he may be freed.
Cyril Tuschi's documentary Khodorkovsky charts the rise and fall of the dissident oligarch and shines a worrying light on the state of Putin's Russia. Guardian journalist Luke Harding, whose new book, Mafia States, details the events that lead to him becoming the first western reporter to be expelled from Russia since the cold war, will be in conversation with Tuschi from 6:30 pm tonight.Cyril Tuschi's documentary Khodorkovsky charts the rise and fall of the dissident oligarch and shines a worrying light on the state of Putin's Russia. Guardian journalist Luke Harding, whose new book, Mafia States, details the events that lead to him becoming the first western reporter to be expelled from Russia since the cold war, will be in conversation with Tuschi from 6:30 pm tonight.
Xan Brooks will be here liveblogging their discussion. You can watch Khodorkovsky on our dedicated stream page and post your questions for Luke to put to Tuschi below.Xan Brooks will be here liveblogging their discussion. You can watch Khodorkovsky on our dedicated stream page and post your questions for Luke to put to Tuschi below.