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	HU OSA 25-2-10
Fonds 25:	Records of the Open Society Institute–Russia
Subfonds 2:	Executive Office
Series 10:	Video Recordings by Boris Grigorievich Dvorkin Documenting the Activity of the Foundation

Date(s) 1998-2003

Extent and medium 76 Beta SP, 2 linear meters

Scope and content

The collection contains approx. 45 hours of video materials produced by the Open Society Institute - Russia (Soros Foundation - Russia),1998 - 2003. Most of the materials are raw unedited footage, but some ready programs form part of the unit, too.
The series' content varies, featuring OSI-Russia's activities, events and achievement reports within its major programs and projects, such as The Pushkin Library, Internet, Development of Education in Russia, Culture, Women's Network, Civil Society programs. Recordings of George Soros' annual visits to Russia; regular all-Russia festivals of humanities conducted by the Foundation; interviews and press conferences with the Foundation's key figures, first of all George Soros and Iekaterina Genieva, president of OSI-Russia are also portrayed. Of particular interest are the documentaries and raw footage about the annual “Podvizhnichestvo" Awards [awards for devotion to a cause], a unique “Russian" practice within the international Soros Foundation network. These records contain revealing, often stunning, life stories of the award winners, people of different backgrounds, committed to self-initiated, and in some cases self-sacrificing, pursuits for the sake of people and society.
The series gives a good general overview of the Foundation's activities, and mission, goals and philosophy behind them, its history and specific activities, personalities involved, the scope of authority and influence this biggest national branch within the International Soros Foundation network commanded in Russia (the total spending of the Foundation in some 15 years of its operation exceeded $750 million) in the timespan covered by the series. On the other hand, the series provides an implicit indication of typical negative attitudes towards the Foundation on the part of a segment of the Russian population, mass media and official authorities, for example, accusations of putative intrusion in the Russian politics, imposition of alien ideological values on the Russian population, inciting brain drain from Russia and alike).
The series may be of special interest to researchers of history, civil society, culture, politics and social life in Russia in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Accruals Not expected

Conditions governing access

Some footage may contain sensitive personal data, and are accessible to researchers upon prior consultation with Audiovisual Archvist at OSA.

Conditions governing reproduction Copyright held by OSA.

Language/scripts of material

English, Russian (Principally Russian)

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

76 Beta SP PAL video cassettes. No reference copy is available.

Finding aids

• 76 containers

Note

Keywords: history of USSR and Russia, civil society, culture, politics and social life in Russia in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Date(s) of descriptions

Processed and described by Anna Yastrzhembska, January through March 2006
Online version updated 19 April 2012