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This story could have ended the Cold War long before Gorbachev…
In the autumn of 1959, the Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, leader of world communism and America’s arch-enemy, arrived in Washington for a no-holds-barred 2 week tour of the United States.
Alexander Rogalski describes the film for the official HOT DOCS FESTIVAL selection:
"In 1959, at the height of the Cold War, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev embarked on a two-week public relations tour across the US. Americans emerged from fancy new bomb shelters for a glimpse of a Communist dictator visiting their landmarks and experiencing local hospitality. Greeted by angry mobs and celebrity gawkers, Khrushchev turned on his charm and quick wit. By the time he hit the West Coast, the US was enthralled by his presence, chasing him along the whistle-stops of his tour.
As current East-West relations become strained, this is a timely reflection on super power maneuvering. Every moment of this fleeting love affair was recorded and preserved from both Soviet and American perspectives, creating a treasure of visual material ripe for revision. Playing with didactic documentary form, Tim Toidze weaves the humour, hysteria and surreal qualities of this state visit into a profile of the political propaganda that permeated both sides of the Iron Curtain."
Editorial info: This being a 100% archive film, the director's artistic choice has been to maintain all original archive formats for quality reasons and leave black background to fill the 16/9 picture.
Festivals and Awards:
* 2014: HOT SPRINGS DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL - Official selection
* 2014: HOT DOCS FESTIVAL: official festival selection
* 2014 FIGRA: Award of best history documentary in the "TERRE(S) D'HISTOIRE"/ Land(s) of History section of the festival, March 2014
* 2014: IMPACT AWARD for "Use of Historical Archives". (Turin)
* 2013: "Special Commendation" PRIX EUROPA, TV Documentary category