In timely news — given the current geopolitical state of things — Sundance Film Festival has announcedNavalny, about the titular Russian opposition leader and anti-corruption activist, as the mystery final film in the U.S. Documentary Competition section.
The film premiere will be the culmination of Sundance’s online festival rollout, and will debut at 6 p.m. M.T. on January 25. Directed byDaniel Roher, the Canadian documentarian best known for his feature music docOnce Were Brothersabout rock group The Band, a statement released by the festival describes his access to the eponymous subject and his inner circle as “unparalleled”. Alexei Navalny was confirmed poisoned by Novichok, a Russian nerve agent, by German doctors — although President Putin and the Russian government has subsequently denied involvement.
Tabitha Jackson, the festival’s director, described their delight at addingNavalnyto the roster. “When we saw this film in the early fall we all immediately knew that we wanted it and would wait for it: riveting cinema in the present tense, incredible access, intrepid investigative journalist, a compelling protagonist speaking truth to power - all beautifully edited, directed and produced into a timely non-fiction thriller that deals with the highest stakes for freedom of expression,” she continues.
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Roher had this to say about the film:
“Boldly confronting injustice through cinematic storytelling has been threaded into Sundance’s DNA since its inception. My team and I can’t imagine premiering at any other festival. We are thrilled that Sundance audiences will be the first to see our film and witness the extraordinary courage of Alexei Navalny.”
While he was recovering, Navalny and his team — already with a large social media following in tow — partnered with the data investigative journalism outlet Bellingcat as well as other international news organizations, including CNN, to investigate his attempted assassination and find proof of the Kremlin’s involvement. InNavalny, filmmaker Daniel Roher reveals a courageous and controversial would-be president at the precipice of sacrificing himself in order to bring reform to his homeland."
The 2022 Sundance Film Festival is currently taking place online. you’re able to find the programmehere. The festival ends on January 30.
Here’s the synopsis forNavalny, with some context around the film’s subject:
“In August 2020, a plane traveling from Siberia to Moscow made an emergency landing. One of its passengers, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was deathly ill. After he was taken to a local Siberian hospital and eventually evacuated to Berlin, German authorities confirmed that he had been poisoned with Novichok, a nerve agent implicated in attacks on other opponents of the Russian government. President Vladimir Putin immediately cast doubt on the findings and denied any involvement.
