Life & Style | Alex Gibney’s ‘Citizen K’ looks at power in Russia

Documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney says profiling exiled Russian businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky allowed him to explore power in Russia from the end of communism until now.

The resulting film, “Citizen K,” premiered at the Venice International Film Festival on Saturday.

Gibney says Khodorkovsky has a unique perspective on how Russia works, having been at both the top and the bottom. Khodorkovsky, one of the richest men in Russia, spent a decade in prison after he was convicted on fraud charges that he claims d were politically motivated. He now lives in in London and is a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I was totally in panic because I don’t like speaking a lot,” Khodorkovsky said at a festival news conference. “But Alex is always ready to understand….I don’t regret at all doing this work with him.”

He and Gibney did a series of extremely long interviews. The filmmaker said his subject “was very patient.”

The documentary was filmed with no official cooperation from Russia. Gibney said requests to interview Putin and spokesman Dmitry Peskov were denied.

“We had regular visas and acknowledged our role as filmmakers and journalists,” Gibney said. “(But we) had no access to official Russian archives.”

Gibney was drawn to his subject following the 2016 U.S. presidential election and “Citizen K” is “a cautionary tale.”

“I think that we Americans are somewhat haunted by Russia and curious about what goes on there,” he said. “Every film that I’ve done has been a call to citizens to understand power and its abuses and do what they can to ensure that power resides in the hands of the people.”

“Citizen K” played out of competition at the Venice Film Festival and does not currently have a release date.

Saudi festival showcases green mountains, flower crowns

A top a string of green mountains in Saudi Arabia, a monthlong festival drew a medley of yoga enthusiasts, extreme adventure seekers, tourists and traditional Saudi families — many wearing colorful flower crowns native to the region as the kingdom looks for ways to revamp its image and build up tourism.

The al-Soudah festival, which ran throughout the month of August, gave visitors a chance to experience a unique region in Saudi Arabia and take part in outdoor sports like hiking, mountain biking, paragliding, horseback riding, zip lining and bungee jumping. Thousands also attended concerts by Middle Eastern superstars.

Scenes of women zip lining and young Saudis at concerts, while nevertheless in a remote village, are a stark departure from the ultraconservative policies that for decades barred concerts and gender mixing, as well as shunned women’s sports in the kingdom.

The reforms are being pushed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the king’s powerful 34-year-old son. He is looking to revamp the country’s economy to become more resilient in the face of lower oil prices. Boosting domestic spending and opening the country to foreign tourists are seen as ways to create more jobs for the millions of young Saudis who will be entering the workforce and looking for jobs in the coming years.

The al-Soudah festival attracted between 12,000 and 15,000 visitors per day, said Husameddin al-Madani, who oversaw the event. Most visitors to the festival were Saudi citizens, but it also drew foreign tourists.