FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: B. Jay Cooper
Phone (202)778-1039
Email: BJCooper@apcoworldwide.com

 Political Upheaval and the Erosion of Democracy
 First Look Screening of Film on Political Prisoner Mikhail Khodorkovsky

Washington, D.C. (November 16, 2009) - The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice along with actors and Creative Coalition Board Members, Alfre Woodard, Richard Schiff, and Wendie Malick will host a private Capitol Hill screening of VLAST, a film that uncovers the little known truths about the sudden arrest and incarceration of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, formerly the wealthiest man in Russia.

WHO:               Richard Schiff, Alfre Woodard, Wendie Malick, "VLAST" (Power) director Catherine Collins

WHAT:             VIP Reception and private film screening: "VLAST" (Power): followed by a panel discussion regarding the Mikhail Khodorkovsky case and human rights; with filmmaker Cathryn Collins, Pavel Khodorkovsky [son of Mikhail Khodorkovsky], Katrina Lantos Swett [Lantos Foundation], and Sanford Saunders [Greenberg Traurig].

WHERE:        U.S. Capitol
                       Capitol Visitor Center
                       North Orientation Theater
                       East Plaza of the Capitol (Please use entrance on First and East Capitol Streets)

WHEN:           Tuesday evening, November 17, 2009
                       Reception: 5:30 pm
                       Screening: 6:00 pm
                      (Panel immediately follows screening)

Please allow enough time to clear U.S. Capitol security.

All press must be credentialed in advance. For press credentials, please contact (202) 778-1039 or e-mail BJCooper@apcoworldwide.com

The evening is co-hosted by the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice (www.lantosfoundation.org) and The Creative Coalition as part of The Creative Coalition's Spotlight Initiative (www.thecreativecoalition.org) which supports independent films with messages important to the global agenda.

ABOUT VLAST
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, formerly the wealthiest man in Russia was arrested at gunpoint in Siberia on October 25, 2003. After he challenged Vladimir Putin by promoting political and civil society reforms, his oil company, YUKOS, was seized, followed by a trial that caused international outrage. He remains imprisoned and is currently on trial on charges of having stolen a larger sum from YUKOS than its annual gross receipts.

For her directorial debut, Catherine Collins gained unprecedented access to Khodorkovsky's family, his closest allies, and the highest level of politicians and journalists in Russia.

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