Putin's Facebook 'A Look Back' Movie

Imagine you were Facebook friends with Vladimir Putin. Ever wonder what his Facebook movie might look like?

One of the biggest trends in social media this week was the launch of the Facebook movie on Wednesday. The new "A Look Back" feature, which was launched as part of the social network giant's 10th anniversary, goes through members' photos and posts to create a one-minute montage video of "You joined in (year)", "Your first moments" and "Your most liked posts" followed by a series of shared photos and ending with the trademark thumbs up icon. The entire mini-movie is scored with music that wouldn't feel out of place in one of Spielberg's more sentimental films.

Video artist �ystein Haugerud took the Facebook film format and created a one-minute lampoon version of "A Look Back" film on the recent past of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The images and posts start with an ironic series of photos of the Russian despot shirtless with firearms or riding a bear in a river before launching into photo after photo depicting the virulently anti-gay climate that has pervaded the nation since the passage of the "gay propaganda" law in 2013.

Haugerud's video can be viewed here. Get ready to share it on your own Facebook account.

This article is part of "Sochi-ology," an EDGE special report series chronicling the social and political events surrounding Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.��Visit the full list of Sochi-ology stories here.