Top 5 films of world-turning events in RTD’s revolution documentaries

Revolutions are feared and welcomed in equal measure. They often spring from people’s desire for change, and as a last hope that improvement will come. However as we see in the top 5 RTD revolution documentaries, their outcome is unpredictable at best. For some a revolution brings a new beginning, but for others, things stay virtually the same.

1. Revolution: 100 Years Young

The film looks at the lasting impact of the October Revolution, which saw the Communists take over power in Russia. The documentary examines the lasting legacy of Lenin, and how the battle between Communism and Capitalism has endured for over a century. We talk to today’s adherents to Lenin’s cause, and look at how some young people are once again embracing the doctrine.

2. Spring Forever

A groundswell of discontent with one government spread across the Middle East in the ‘Arab Spring’ revolutions. In Spring Forever, we look at the catalysts in Tunisia which sparked a revolution to depose a tyrant, and how the movement spread leading to fundamental changes throughout the Arab world.

3. Chasing Che

There is no more iconic revolutionary than Che Guevara. After success in Cuba, Che tried to do the same in Bolivia. Chasing Che looks at his last days in Bolivia, where his brand of revolution was misunderstood by the people. We talk to the people who knew him at that time, and his adversaries, to piece together the months leading up to his death.

4. Kiev: Masks of Revolution

The revolution in Ukraine known as ‘EuroMaidan’ is the topic of the film Kiev. Masks of Revolution. The film documents the revolution to remove President Yanukovich from office, and the street battles that ensued. We’re taken behind the barricades to witness the savagery of the street-fighting, and see the rise of the ultra-nationalist ‘Right Sector’ as they struggle to gain power.

5. Red Tourism: Back to the USSR

At the peak of its power the Soviet Union was a second-home to revolutionaries from around the world. Many went back to their homeland to further the cause. Years later there is a nostalgia for those times, and the children of old revolutionaries have become tourists returning to Russia to revisit their family’s revolutionary past. The poignant return is showcased in the film Red Tourism: Back to the USSR.

These five are just a few of the revolution documentaries available to view on RTD: