“One Ring to rule them all/One Ring to find them/One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them” – J.R.R. Tolkien
Almost as soon as Vladimir Putin gave out gold rings to the eight other leaders of the so-called Commonwealth of Independent States — a group of Moscow-influenced former Soviet republics — the Lord of the Rings jokes started. After all, in the lore of the world created by J.R.R. Tolkien, Middle Earth’s reigning bad guy Sauron gave nine Rings of Power to leaders of men. They, in turn became “mighty in their day, kings, sorcerers, and warriors of old.” But one by one, the leaders came to be ruled by the One Ring, which Sauron himself held, and were turned into wraiths subject to his bidding.
Putin reportedly kept a ninth ring himself, making a match with Tolkien’s fictional nine rings.
The only leader who looks to be wearing his gift in a group photo from the event is Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who is reported to have put the band on his finger immediately.
In a statement from the conclave, Putin tied to strike a tone of fidelity among Cis countries as the Russian president’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine continues.
From L: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov, Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rakhmon, Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev pose for a family photo ahead of an informal meeting of the heads of state of the Commonwealth of Independent States
Among those making Lotr comparisons was Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs who posted photos of Gollum, Putin’s rings themselves — which allegedly have the words “Happy New Year 2023” and “Russia” written on them — as well as Lukashenko wearing his. Gerashchenko wrote “Expectation: Putin-Sauron” followed by “Reality: Putin-Gollum.”
Expectation: Putin-Sauron
Reality: Putin-Gollum pic.twitter.com/QBTbCFMyJ0
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) December 27, 2022
Ukrainian Parlamentarian Oleksiy Goncharenko also posted photos of the rings and wrote, “Putin got tired of being the Hitler of the 21st century and decided to play Lord of the Rings and become a ‘mighty Sauron.’ ” He followed up with a narrated clip from Amazon’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power that explains the rings and their relationship to the “One Ring.” You can see both posts below.
Putin got tired of being the Hitler of the 21st century and decided to play Lord of the Rings and become a "mighty Sauron".
He presented the participants of the informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States with rings with the symbol of the "commonwealth". pic.twitter.com/vqZArg5uha
— Oleksiy Goncharenko (@GoncharenkoUa) December 27, 2022
I think the story of the creation of Putin's rings was the same pic.twitter.com/5e7bzQOs3p
— Oleksiy Goncharenko (@GoncharenkoUa) December 27, 2022...
Almost as soon as Vladimir Putin gave out gold rings to the eight other leaders of the so-called Commonwealth of Independent States — a group of Moscow-influenced former Soviet republics — the Lord of the Rings jokes started. After all, in the lore of the world created by J.R.R. Tolkien, Middle Earth’s reigning bad guy Sauron gave nine Rings of Power to leaders of men. They, in turn became “mighty in their day, kings, sorcerers, and warriors of old.” But one by one, the leaders came to be ruled by the One Ring, which Sauron himself held, and were turned into wraiths subject to his bidding.
Putin reportedly kept a ninth ring himself, making a match with Tolkien’s fictional nine rings.
The only leader who looks to be wearing his gift in a group photo from the event is Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who is reported to have put the band on his finger immediately.
In a statement from the conclave, Putin tied to strike a tone of fidelity among Cis countries as the Russian president’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine continues.
From L: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov, Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rakhmon, Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev pose for a family photo ahead of an informal meeting of the heads of state of the Commonwealth of Independent States
Among those making Lotr comparisons was Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs who posted photos of Gollum, Putin’s rings themselves — which allegedly have the words “Happy New Year 2023” and “Russia” written on them — as well as Lukashenko wearing his. Gerashchenko wrote “Expectation: Putin-Sauron” followed by “Reality: Putin-Gollum.”
Expectation: Putin-Sauron
Reality: Putin-Gollum pic.twitter.com/QBTbCFMyJ0
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) December 27, 2022
Ukrainian Parlamentarian Oleksiy Goncharenko also posted photos of the rings and wrote, “Putin got tired of being the Hitler of the 21st century and decided to play Lord of the Rings and become a ‘mighty Sauron.’ ” He followed up with a narrated clip from Amazon’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power that explains the rings and their relationship to the “One Ring.” You can see both posts below.
Putin got tired of being the Hitler of the 21st century and decided to play Lord of the Rings and become a "mighty Sauron".
He presented the participants of the informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States with rings with the symbol of the "commonwealth". pic.twitter.com/vqZArg5uha
— Oleksiy Goncharenko (@GoncharenkoUa) December 27, 2022
I think the story of the creation of Putin's rings was the same pic.twitter.com/5e7bzQOs3p
— Oleksiy Goncharenko (@GoncharenkoUa) December 27, 2022...
- 12/28/2022
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
The straw-man argument at the center of Truth to Power, a documentary about the art and activism of System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian, is: “Can music change the world?” If you know anything about Tankian — or Fela Kuti, Pete Seeger, Billie Holiday, N.W.A, Ludwig van Beethoven, and on and on — the answer is self-evident. But once filmmaker Garin Hovannisian moves past this question and begins showing how Tankian and his bandmates have improved the status of their ancestral homeland, Armenia, the power of truth starts hitting its marks.
- 2/19/2021
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
At first glance it’s tempting to call “Truth to Power,” a documentary about the music and activism of System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian, the “Last Dance” of music docs. Impressive archival footage can’t disguise how overly reverential a treatment Garin Hovannisian’s film is. That’s not surprising considering that, like “The Last Dance,” its subject was an instrumental part of its making. Tankian reached out to Hovannisian to initiate the project, and had even scored two of Hovannisian’s previous movies. That cozy relationship has a cost: as with “The Last Dance,” “Truth to Power” is a promotional film, not a work of journalism.
But unlike “The Last Dance,” it doesn’t have an hours-long narrative worth losing yourself in to the point that you begin to forget those critiques. What you get instead is a Wikipedia-like blow-by-blow account of key moments in his...
But unlike “The Last Dance,” it doesn’t have an hours-long narrative worth losing yourself in to the point that you begin to forget those critiques. What you get instead is a Wikipedia-like blow-by-blow account of key moments in his...
- 2/19/2021
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
United Nations, Dec 5 (Ians) Un Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the continuing ceasefire in and around the conflict-ridden Nagorno-Karabakh region, saying the world body stands ready to provide humanitarian support.
"The Secretary-General takes note of the December 3 joint statement on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh by the heads of delegation of the Osce (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Minsk Group Co-Chair countries," Xinhua news agency quoted Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the Un chief, as saying in a statement on Saturday.
"He welcomes the continuing adherence to the ceasefire in accordance with the November 9 joint statement and calls on all concerned to continue implementing their obligations, notably as they relate to international humanitarian law and human rights law," the statement said.
Guterres made clear that the Un "is prepared to respond to the humanitarian needs in all areas affected by the conflict, and to scale up ongoing assistance in Armenia and Azerbaijan,...
"The Secretary-General takes note of the December 3 joint statement on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh by the heads of delegation of the Osce (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Minsk Group Co-Chair countries," Xinhua news agency quoted Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the Un chief, as saying in a statement on Saturday.
"He welcomes the continuing adherence to the ceasefire in accordance with the November 9 joint statement and calls on all concerned to continue implementing their obligations, notably as they relate to international humanitarian law and human rights law," the statement said.
Guterres made clear that the Un "is prepared to respond to the humanitarian needs in all areas affected by the conflict, and to scale up ongoing assistance in Armenia and Azerbaijan,...
- 12/5/2020
- by IANS
- GlamSham
It took a war for System of a Down to record new music. After seeing the country of Azerbaijan start a conflict with Armenia in September, the musicians, who are all of Armenian descent, rushed into the studio to record two new songs, “Protect the Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz,” to draw attention to the crisis in their ancestral homeland.
The band will donate proceeds from the songs, which come out Friday, to aid Armenians, and it is soliciting fans to donate to the Armenia Fund, which provides humanitarian relief to the region.
The band will donate proceeds from the songs, which come out Friday, to aid Armenians, and it is soliciting fans to donate to the Armenia Fund, which provides humanitarian relief to the region.
- 11/6/2020
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
The 22nd Thessaloniki Documentary Festival goes online and presents 210 documentaries from all over the world, original tributes and a series of live open discussions.
From Tuesday May 19 to Thursday May 28, users from Greece will be able, with a simple registration to the website www.filmfestival.gr to watch the documentaries of the 22nd Tdf for free. Every documentary will be available for 400 screenings. The festival includes several documentaries from across Asia including:
The Marriage Project by Atieh Attarzadeh, Hesam Eslami
Encourage the patients to engage in relationships, get married, and lead a family life. That’s the groundbreaking and rule-changing idea of the head of a mental clinic. Not in Scandinavia or Canada, but in the suffocative and repressive milieu of Tehran. As the first marriages between couples selected by a committee take place, a series of intriguing questions arise. An in-depth glance at the unseen structures and the unwritten laws of a closed-circuit community,...
From Tuesday May 19 to Thursday May 28, users from Greece will be able, with a simple registration to the website www.filmfestival.gr to watch the documentaries of the 22nd Tdf for free. Every documentary will be available for 400 screenings. The festival includes several documentaries from across Asia including:
The Marriage Project by Atieh Attarzadeh, Hesam Eslami
Encourage the patients to engage in relationships, get married, and lead a family life. That’s the groundbreaking and rule-changing idea of the head of a mental clinic. Not in Scandinavia or Canada, but in the suffocative and repressive milieu of Tehran. As the first marriages between couples selected by a committee take place, a series of intriguing questions arise. An in-depth glance at the unseen structures and the unwritten laws of a closed-circuit community,...
- 5/18/2020
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
"I've taken my step, now take your step." Avalanche Ent. has released an official trailer for a documentary titled I Am Not Alone, which originally premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year. It also played at Doc NYC and AFI Fest in the fall. The doc film is about the Armenian revolution of 2018. The movement begins hopelessly, with activist Nikol Pashinyan and just a handful of supporters — including a stray dog — setting out on a 14-day march from one side of the country to the capital of Yerevan. Step by step, the marchers begin to capture the hearts and minds of the Armenian public. Within a few weeks, the country erupts in a spectacular revolution, as millions of citizens take to the streets, across their neighborhoods, and stage some of the most creative, powerful, and surprising acts of civil disobedience in modern history. This incredible political drama presents an...
- 3/5/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Despite the title of Garin Hovannisian’s documentary on Armenia’s 2018 “velvet revolution” being I Am Not Alone, journalist/activist/Congressman Nikol Pashinyan was exactly that at the movement’s beginning. Word came down that former president Serzh Sargsyan was to be voted in as the nation’s latest Prime Minister—an unjust and demoralizing development considering he had used the last term of his presidency to change laws and ensure that new office would effectively keep him in controlling power. Because Pashinyan refused to simply let that happen without a fight, he organized an eighteen-day march towards the capital city of Yerevan in order to block politicians from entering the Parliamentary building and thus prevent the vote. Rather than join thousands of protestors upon his arrival, only a couple hundred showed up.
Instead of letting that be the end of it, Pashinyan rallied students, stormed the government-sponsored radio station,...
Instead of letting that be the end of it, Pashinyan rallied students, stormed the government-sponsored radio station,...
- 9/17/2019
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
On Easter Sunday 2018, Nikol Pashinyan strapped on a backpack and launched “My Step,” a 120-mile walk across Armenia to protest the country’s ruling party. It inspired a non-violent movement that in less than two months, saw the country’s prime minister resign and Pashinyan elevated to the office. Filmmaker Garin Hovannisian was there with Pashinyan from the beginning and chronicled the wild events for his documentary “I Am Not Alone.”
Hovannisian’s film captures the entirety of what came to be known as the “Velvet Revolution” in Armenia, beginning with Pashinyan embarking on a 14-day protest march, and ending with the resignation of Serzh Sargsyan. Now his moving, cinema veríte film is making its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday, and TheWrap has the exclusive first trailer.
“Today I take my step. I take my step today. My path shines with hope, a new story underway.
Hovannisian’s film captures the entirety of what came to be known as the “Velvet Revolution” in Armenia, beginning with Pashinyan embarking on a 14-day protest march, and ending with the resignation of Serzh Sargsyan. Now his moving, cinema veríte film is making its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday, and TheWrap has the exclusive first trailer.
“Today I take my step. I take my step today. My path shines with hope, a new story underway.
- 9/6/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Fueled by streamers and strong B.O. on high-profile titles, the documentary genre has exploded, and Toronto Intl. Film Festival documentary programmer Thom Powers sifted through 850 possibilities before determining this year’s non-fiction lineup. While these 25 films vary widely, “politics is going to be ever-present in this section,” Powers says.
Last year, filmmakers including Michael Moore, Alexis Bloom and Errol Morris explored American politics and the people behind President Donald Trump’s rise. But the 2016 election is nowhere in site at this year’s fest. Instead, veteran doc filmmakers Alex Gibney and Lauren Greenfield as well as first time non-fiction helmer Garin Hovannisian are examining politics in foreign lands, and issues such as election manipulation, corruption, fake news and fragile democracies.
Gibney’s “Citizen K” looks at post-Soviet Russia from the perspective of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, an oligarch turned political dissident, while Greenfield’s “The Kingmaker” (Showtime) aims its lens at...
Last year, filmmakers including Michael Moore, Alexis Bloom and Errol Morris explored American politics and the people behind President Donald Trump’s rise. But the 2016 election is nowhere in site at this year’s fest. Instead, veteran doc filmmakers Alex Gibney and Lauren Greenfield as well as first time non-fiction helmer Garin Hovannisian are examining politics in foreign lands, and issues such as election manipulation, corruption, fake news and fragile democracies.
Gibney’s “Citizen K” looks at post-Soviet Russia from the perspective of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, an oligarch turned political dissident, while Greenfield’s “The Kingmaker” (Showtime) aims its lens at...
- 9/4/2019
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
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