Telluride Premieres ‘Icarus: The Aftermath,’ Oscar Winner Bryan Fogel’s Tracking of the Man Who Revealed Russia’s Massive Athletics Doping Program

Vladimir Putin demands absolute loyalty to the Russian state, and woe to those who oppose him!

Oil executive Ravil Maganov, whose company criticizes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, died earlier this week from the window of a Moscow hospital in mysterious circumstances, which he called philanthropist.

Was Maganov’s name engraved on the Kremlin’s enemy list? Maybe yes maybe no. But a man convinced that the Kremlin wants him dead is Russian chemist Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov. As documented in the 2018 Oscar-winning film icarusRodchenkov whistled about Russia’s elaborate plan to cheat drug tests ahead of the Olympics and other world sporting events; a circuitous system set in motion by the chemist himself.

Rodchenkov fled to the United States and went into hiding while filming a Brian Fogel documentary. But what happened after that? a new documentary Icarus: Results answer this question. Fogel’s sequel premiered Friday night at the Telluride Film Festival.

“We’ve been keeping the movie very close for the last four and a half years that we’ve been working on it, really, it started almost immediately. icarus fired,” Fogel told Deadline. “We usually kept it secret for security reasons.”

The film reveals that Rodchenkov lived a life of persecution and had to move frequently to the United States to avoid being followed by supposed Russian assassins. He left his family behind in Russia, but has no regrets for exposing his country’s doping betrayal. Rodchenkov remains a staunch critic of the country’s government.

“The problem with Russia is that no one can tell the truth. This is still a Soviet attitude,” he says in the documentary. “History is being falsified in Russia. I am against systematic lies.

Fogel was able to periodically communicate with Rodchenkov over the Internet and see him in person, but only on rare occasions (each visit risked exposing his location). Filming Rodchenkov’s daily life became the responsibility of cinematographer Jake Swantko, who described it as “a kind of installation process”. Svantko returned, impressed by Rodchenkov’s ability to maintain a positive outlook.

“Grigori is one of those people who takes every situation and finds light in it. “I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but I’ve never met someone so optimistic,” she says. “Even under tremendous pressure, not being able to see his family for long and not knowing where to live the next day or where the money will come from, he’s a beacon of optimism… It’s just a great affirmation of the spirit.” it can be suppressed.

The film follows Rodchenkov as the scientist grapples with two concerns: seeking political asylum in the United States and being reunited with the diaries he has faithfully kept for over 40 years. He was able to take some volumes of the diary with him when he left Russia in a hurry, but most of them remained in a secret place in the house. The diaries were so important to him that leaving them was like losing a limb.

Rodchenkov managed to sneak his diaries out of Russia with a bit of a James Bond joke. The records contain a wealth of information detailing Russia’s long-term efforts to avoid anti-doping measures. Rodchenkov, for example, relates that before the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Russia sent a ship to South Korea equipped with the necessary equipment for doping exercises. The machine was cleverly disguised to look like an espresso machine.

Fogel says he found Rodchenkov’s interview about these brazen events surprising.

“He was so constant, ‘You did it. What Is there an espresso machine in Korea? “Yes, an espresso machine,” says Fogel, quoting Rodchenkov. “And what is your mission on the ship?” ‘I am very [an espresso] Technical.”

In another example, Rodchenkov shares the discovery that doping male athletes can trick metabolite studies by mixing steroids with Chivas Regal. Cocktail martinis and steroids were preferred by female athletes. Another anecdote involved a protocol in which athletes quickly drank beer after a sporting event and then tied their bladders to their suits before taking a urine test. Did the ending work?

“There will be a very small footprint [of illegal substances] It stays in your urine to keep you clean,” says Fogel. “I mean, the plans he came up with are ridiculous.”

Rodchenkov claims that the plans were overseen by Russia’s sports ministry and that his authority to cheat goes further than Putin. His lawyer appeared on Capitol Hill in 2018 and said Rodchenkov was forced to accept the doping program.

“Let me be clear about this,” attorney Jim Walden said, “Dr. Rodchenkov had no choice but to join this system if he wanted to survive.”

Rodchenkov’s bold decision to blow the whistle made him a villain in Putin’s Russia. He became perhaps the most wanted man and the target of assassination, joining many others on the obvious “kill” lists. In 2018, former Russian military officer and double agent Sergei Skripal was poisoned with a deadly nerve agent in the UK. In August 2020, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned while traveling in Russia.

Meanwhile, The Guardian newspaper reported this week that “half a dozen businessmen linked to the Russian energy industry have died in apparent suicide or mysterious circumstances since the start of the war in Ukraine. None of the deaths were classified as homicide.

In other words, Dr. Rodchenkov’s life is far from safe. At the end of the movie, she takes more steps to protect herself, going so far that it means she’ll never be able to take her eyes off her family or the producers again.

“It was really surprising to have Gregory in our lives for so long. And it changed my life and Brian’s forever,” says Swantko. “It was really sad knowing we’d never see this guy, this character we’ve been following for so many years… It was the sacrifice he made.”

Despite Rodchenkov’s heroic actions, the consequences for Russia will probably be minimal. The International Olympic Committee and world anti-doping officials have yet to decide what to do after the figure skating scandal at the Beijing Olympics last February. Competing as the “Russian Olympic Committee”, the Russian team won the team event over young star Kamila Valieva. But after this incident it became known that Valyeva passed a drug test before the Olympics.

In response to the occupation of Ukraine, the International Olympic Committee is talking about banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in international competitions. But in the past, its “bans” have proven to be unsuccessful, as the IOC announced after Russia’s massive deception at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

“The ban was definitely not a ban. Attorney Walden testified in a speech to Congress in 2018.

Icarus: Results It begins with a review of what happened in Fogel’s previous Rodchenkov movie, including how the doctor helped Russia cheat in Sochi. However, the director says the new film is “standing on its own.” You can sit back and watch like never before. icarus”

The original film won Netflix one of its first Oscars, but Icarus: Results It’s making its world premiere without a distribution agreement.

“Without being a distributor to Telluride, we’re going to show the film to audiences and first-time buyers,” Fogel says. “I’m excited about where the movie will end, I’m sure it will be the right house for him.”