Navalny has been marketed as an international thriller centered on the plot to kill Russian peace activist Alexander Navalny, but director Daniel Roher says it’s just as important to show him as a person as an icon.
At Deadline’s Contenders Documentary Awards Season Panel, Roher talked about why it was important to include Navalny’s personal life in the film.
“By showing his humanity and his family, we were able to illustrate exactly what was at stake for him and exactly what he sacrificed for the cause of Russian democracy and Russian freedom,” he said. “And so it was extremely important that this film not only be a political film, or this film not only be a crime thriller, but at its core, really make a family film, make this film a love film.” story between Julia and Alexei.”
Bulgarian investigative journalist Christo Grozev shared how he felt in one of the film’s most memorable scenes, when Navalny posed as a Russian official to trick one of the conspirators into giving him information about his own murder. .
“My god, this guy is giving us way more data than we even had before the phone call started. Somewhere in the middle of the phone call, I started feeling sorry for him, and I’m sorry,” Grozev said. “I think what have we done with this killer or one of the killers? And by the end, I was a little bit exhausted and I was like, ‘Okay, I’ve peaked. I will never see anything so good in my life. So what am I supposed to do for the rest of my life?’”
BOUND TOGETHER: “Navalny” trailer and premiere date: Documentary about an outspoken critic of Putin who dared to return to Russia
Although Navalny was evacuated to Germany for medical treatment after the assassination, he chose to return to Russia, where he was immediately arrested and sentenced to nine years in a maximum security prison.
Russian investigative journalist Maria Pevchikh shared what her detention was like.
“He was permanently placed in solitary confinement,” she said. “He spends his day in a small prison cell of three by four meters. …The room consists of a bed that is chained to the wall every morning at 06:00. It has a table and a chair without a back. So this is his life now, and the biggest struggle he is going through now is not being allowed to wear winter boots, unlike all the other prisoners.
Check back Wednesday for the panel video.
Author: Alexander Kramer
Source: Deadline
Ashley Root is an author and celebrity journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for all things celebrity, Ashley is always up-to-date on the latest gossip and trends in the world of entertainment.
