Movie: The Power of the Powerless 电影：无权者的权力

Watch this movie on Youtube（在线观看电影链接）: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDr7N6pZuHU

纪录片《无权者的权力》探索捷克斯洛伐克被共产政权统治及其反对它的斗争：从20世纪50年­代斯大林政府的铁腕统治，60年代充满活力和政治活跃的布拉格之春，70年代­强硬派的­反弹，到最后1989年的不流血革命。影片的核心是二十年来不断发声反对极权主义、被­列入黑名单的剧作家瓦茨拉夫•哈维尔和其他的异见人士。纪录片的高潮，是­由学生主导的­、引发五十万人上街、把哈维尔捧上总统这职位的天鹅绒革命运动。该纪录片的特点是收录­了天鹅绒革命关键人物包括哈维尔等人的珍贵及从未被曝光过的采访片段­。纪录片中受采访­的年轻人，说很多捷克的近代史已遭遗忘，这些跟年轻人的心声可能更为年轻的观众带来共­鸣。由艾美奖得主科里•泰勒执导及奥斯卡奖得主杰里米•艾恩斯叙­述，"无权者的权力"­已经在40个国家10个电视网络20个国际电影节上播放，荣获多个奖项，并为人权组织­所使用来鼓励那些在非民主国家如缅甸等中挣扎的异见人士。

The Power of the Powerless Synopsis

Narrated by Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons, "The Power of the Powerless" explores Czechoslovakia's legacy of communist rule and the struggle against it: From the iron-fisted Stalinist government of the 1950s; through the vibrant and politically active Prague Spring of the 1960s; the hard-line backlash of the 1970s; and finally the bloodless revolution of 1989. At the heart of the film is the story of blacklisted playwright Václav Havel and his fellow dissidents who, for two decades, spoke out against totalitarianism. The film culminates with the student-led movement in Prague, which sparked 1989's Velvet Revolution and drew a half-million people into the streets, catapulting Václav Havel into the presidency. The documentary features rare and never-before-seen interviews with key figures of the Velvet Revolution including Václav Havel. The participation of young Czechs in the film, who reveal that much of their country's recent history has already been forgotten, makes the film all the more pertinent for young viewers. Directed by Primetime Emmy Award winner Cory Taylor and completed in 2009, "The Power of the Powerless" has already been broadcast in 40 countries on 10 television networks, featured in 20 international film festivals, won multiple awards, and is currently being used by human rights organizations to encourage dissidents struggling in non-democratic countries including Burma.
The Director's Statement

Czechoslovakia's "Velvet Revolution" is one of the most stirring episodes of people-power in recent history. Inspired by the courageous struggle of a handful of dissidents, and sparked by idealistic students demonstrating in the streets of Prague, Czechs and Slovaks brought an end to forty years of communist tyranny through bloodless revolution in 1989. Today, Vaclav Havel, the former outlaw playwright who led the opposition, is respected as one of the most important human rights figures of the 20th Century.

Though many informed people see the relevance of the Velvet Revolution to current events, great majorities of people around the world are still unaware of this inspiring story. Fewer still, are those who know about the trials and tribulations Vaclav Havel and his fellow dissidents endured to achieve a bloodless transfer of power. For this reason, and in support of freedom and human rights around the world, we set out to make this documentary.

What we couldn't have known until we made the film, is how little is known about what really took place even in the Czech Republic, where many young people remain in the dark about their country's communist past.

We are grateful that so many key figures from this important episode, including President Vaclav Havel, agreed to participate in this documentary. In a world where viable alternatives to armed conflict are still desperately needed, the time is right to reflect on 1989's Velvet Revolution.