Navalny (film)

Navalny is a 2022 American documentary film directed by Daniel Roher.[2][3] The film revolves around Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and events related to his poisoning.[4] It was produced by HBO Max and CNN Films. The film premiered on January 25, 2022 at the Sundance Film Festival, where it received critical and audience acclaim and won the Audience Award in the US Documentary competition and the Festival Favorite Award.[5] It also won the Best Documentary Feature at the 95th Academy Awards, won the award for Best Political Documentary at the 7th Critics' Choice Documentary Awards and picked up best documentary at the 76th BAFTA awards ceremony.[6]

Navalny
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDaniel Roher
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyNiki Waltl
Edited by
  • Maya Hawke
  • Langdon Page
Music by
Production
companies
  • Cottage M
  • Fishbowl Films
  • RaeFilm Studios
  • CNN Films
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures (United States)
Release dates
  • January 25, 2022 (2022-01-25) (Sundance)
  • April 11, 2022 (2022-04-11) (United States)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
Languages
  • Russian
  • English
Box office$106,399[1]

Synopsis

The film tells about the events related to the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the subsequent investigation into the poisoning. On August 20, 2020, Navalny was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent,[7] falling sick during a flight from Tomsk to Moscow, and was hospitalized in serious condition. Navalny was taken to a hospital in Omsk after an emergency landing there, and put in a coma. Two days later, he was evacuated to the Charité hospital in Berlin, Germany. The use of the nerve agent was confirmed by five Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) certified laboratories. Navalny blamed Russian president Vladimir Putin for his poisoning, while the Kremlin repeatedly denied involvement.[8][9]

The film shows how Bellingcat journalist Christo Grozev and Maria Pevchikh, the head investigator for Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, reveal the details of a plot that indicates the involvement of Putin.[10]

The director described the film as "the story of one man and his struggle with an authoritarian regime".[11][12]

Production

The project was first announced on January 13, 2021. The film was directed by Canadian documentary filmmaker Daniel Roher, who originally planned to make a film about one of the investigations of Christo Grozev. Filming began shortly after Navalny came out of a coma and went on until his arrest in January 2021: according to the main character of the film, the film crew was next to him even at the border control at the airport.[13]

It was produced by HBO Max and CNN Films in partnership with Fishbowl Films, RaeFilm Studios and Cottage M. The project was produced by Fishbowl Films' Diane Becker and Melanie Miller, Cottage M's Shane Boris, RaeFilm Studios Odessa Rae, CNN Films' Amy Entelis and Courtney Sexton, and Maria Pevchikh.

Release

The film premiered on January 25, 2022 at the Sundance Film Festival as the final title in the U.S. Documentary Competition section, where it won the Festival Favorite Award and the Audience Award for the U.S. Documentary Competition.[14] In March 2022, Warner Bros. Pictures acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film, and set it for an April 11, and April 12, 2022, release.[15]

The film premiered on April 24, 2022 on CNN in the US, as well as on the streaming platform CNN+.[16][17] Then after the closure of CNN+, the film moved to HBO Max on May 26, 2022.[18]

It was shown on BBC2 on March 25, 2022.[19]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 99% of 97 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "Navalny is a documentary that's as gripping as any thriller – but the real-life fight against authoritarianism that it details is deadly serious."[20] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 82 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[21]

Guardian critic Phil Harrison awarded it 5/5 stars calling it "one of the most jaw-dropping things you'll ever witness", and "this terrifying documentary enters the realms of the far-fetched spy thriller – and yet it's all true".[22] New York Times film critic Ben Kenigsberg added the film to the "Critic's List" and also praised it saying "Roher has assembled a tense and absorbing look at Navalny and his inner circle".[23]

Accolades
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Sundance Film Festival January 30, 2022 Audience Award: U.S. Documentary Navalny Won [24]
Festival Favorite Award Won
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards November 13, 2022 Best Documentary Feature Nominated [25]
[26]
Best Political Documentary Won
Best Director Daniel Roher Nominated
Best Score Marius de Vries and Matt Robertson Nominated
Best Editing Langdon Page and Maya Daisy Hawke Nominated
San Diego Film Critics Society January 6, 2023 Best Documentary Navalny Nominated [27]
San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle January 9, 2023 Best Documentary Feature Nominated [28]
Cinema Eye Honors January 12, 2023 Outstanding Non-Fiction Feature Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris Nominated [29]
[30]
Outstanding Production Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris Won
Audience Choice Prize Navalny Won
The Unforgettables Alexei Navalny Won
Georgia Film Critics Association January 13, 2023 Best Documentary Film Navalny Nominated [31]
Seattle Film Critics Society January 17, 2023 Best Documentary Feature Nominated [32]
Houston Film Critics Society February 18, 2023 Best Documentary Feature Nominated [33]
Directors Guild of America Awards February 18, 2023 Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentaries Daniel Roher Nominated [34]
British Academy Film Awards February 19, 2023 Best Documentary Daniel Roher, Diane Becker, Shane Boris, Melanie Miller, Odessa Rae Won [35]
Cinema for Peace Awards February 24, 2023 Award for Justice Navalny Won [36]
Producers Guild of America Awards February 25, 2023 Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller, and Shane Boris Won [37][38]
Academy Awards March 12, 2023 Best Documentary Feature Film Navalny Won [39][40]

References
  1. "Navalny".
  2. "'Everyone was freaking out': Navalny novichok film made in secret premieres at Sundance". The Guardian. January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  3. Gleiberman, Owen (January 26, 2022). "'Navalny' Review: A Must-See Documentary About the Anti-Putin Freedom Fighter Who Has Become the Conscience of Russia". Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  4. Fienberg, Daniel (January 26, 2022). "'Navalny': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  5. Times, The Moscow (January 25, 2022). "Navalny Poisoning Documentary to Premiere at Sundance". The Moscow Times. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  6. "BAFTA Film Awards 2023: The full list of winners". Sky News. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  7. Генеральный директор ОЗХО Фернандо Ариас Гонсалес (November 30, 2020). "OPENING STATEMENT BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL TO THE CONFERENCE OF THE STATES PARTIES AT ITS TWENTY-FIFTH SESSION" (PDF). ОЗХО. 28. In September, the Secretariat conducted a technical assistance visit in response to a request from Germany under subparagraph 38(e) of Article VIII of the Convention. During the visit, a team of experts from the Secretariat collected biomedical samples directly from Mr Navalny for analysis by OPCW designated laboratories. The results of the analysis confirmed that a toxic chemical of the Novichok family was found in Mr Navalny's blood.
  8. "'Everyone was freaking out': Navalny novichok film made in secret premieres at Sundance". The Guardian. January 26, 2022.
  9. "Documentary On Navalny Wins Top Awards At Sundance Film Festival". rferl.org. January 29, 2022.
  10. Horton, Adrian (January 27, 2022). "Navalny review – shocking documentary of a Russian poisoning". The Guardian. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  11. HBO Max и CNN сняли документальный фильм об Алексее Навальном
  12. "HBO и CNN сняли документальный фильм про Навального". Dozhd. January 13, 2022.
  13. "Журналист Bellingcat рассказал, какой эффект на Запад окажет фильм HBO и CNN про Навального". Dozhd. January 14, 2022.
  14. D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 24, 2022). "Daniel Roher Documentary Thriller 'Navalny' Is This Year's Sundance Secret Screening". Deadline. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  15. McClintock, Pamela (March 30, 2022). "Russian Dissident Doc 'Navalny' to Receive Special Theatrical Release". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  16. CNN и HBO сняли документальный фильм о Навальном
  17. Vlessing, Etan (April 15, 2022). "CNN Sets Premiere Date for Russian Dissident Doc 'Navalny'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  18. "This May Stream "Hacks," "The Staircase," "The Time Traveler's Wife," "George Carlin's American Dream" and More on HBO Max". The Futon Critic. April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  19. "BBC Two - Navalny".
  20. "Navalny". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  21. "Navalny". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  22. Harrison, Phil (April 25, 2022). "Navalny review – one of the most jaw-dropping things you'll ever witness ★★★★★". The Guardian. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  23. Kenigsberg, Ben (April 24, 2022). "'Navalny' Review: Speaking Truth to Power in a Corrupt System (Critic's List)". The New York Times. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  24. "2022 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS ANNOUNCED – sundance.org". Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  25. Davis, Clayton (October 17, 2022). "'Fire of Love' and 'Good Night Oppy' Lead Critics Choice Documentary Award Nominations". Variety. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  26. Zilko, Christian (November 13, 2022). "'Good Night Oppy,' 'Get Back' Dominate Critics Choice Documentary Awards (Complete Winners List)". IndieWire. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  27. "2022 San Diego Film Critics Society Nominations". San Diego Film Critics Society. January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  28. Neglia, Matt (January 6, 2023). "The 2022 San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) Nominations". Next Best Picture. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  29. Jones, Marcus (November 10, 2022). "'Fire of Love' and 'The Territory' Lead 2023 Cinema Eye Honors Nonfiction Film Nominees". IndieWire. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  30. MacCary, Julia; Shafer, Ellise (January 12, 2023). "'All That Breathes,' 'Fire of Love' Lead Cinema Eye Honors". Variety. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  31. Anderson, Erik (January 7, 2023). "2022 Georgia Film Critics Association (GAFCA) nominations". AwardsWatch. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  32. ""Everything Everywhere All At Once" Leads the 2022 Seattle Film Critics Society Nominations". Seattle Film Critics Society. January 9, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  33. Darling, Cary (January 10, 2023). "'Everything Everywhere,' 'Banshees of Inisherin' top list of Houston critics' nominations". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  34. Schneider, Michael (January 10, 2023). "Severance, Station Eleven, The Daily Show Lead 2023 DGA Awards Television Nominations". Variety. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  35. "Baftas 2023: The winners and nominees in full". BBC News. January 19, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  36. "Awards 2022". Cinema for Peace Foundation. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  37. "Producers Guild of America Awards Celebrates Everything Everywhere All At Once, White Lotus, The Bear, Navalny & more with Top Honors" (Press release). Los Angeles: Producers Guild of America. February 25, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  38. Pond, Steve (February 25, 2023). "Everything Everywhere All at Once Named Best Picture at Producers Guild Awards". TheWrap. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  39. 2023|Oscars.org
  40. 'Navalny' Wins Best Documentary Feature Film | 95th Oscars (2023)
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