Venice 2026. “My unwanted friends. Part II." A long (six hours) documentary about how Russian journalists wander into exile after the start of the wartranslated

The world premiere of the documentary “My Unwanted Friends” took place at the Venice Film Festival. Part II: Exile,” which was released by American journalist of Russian origin Julia Loktev. The plot centers on the stories of the authors of Dozhd, Important Stories, and Novaya Gazeta, who find themselves in exile after the start of the great war between Russia and Ukraine in 2022. In the new part of the epic about Russian journalists, Loktev tells in detail how its heroes search and find a foothold that allows them to continue their work despite all the difficulties. All the details are in Anton Dolin’s review.

Involuntary déjà vu. With some horror, you find out that you have to watch six hours of documentary film on a topic that you have also thoroughly studied, and in your own skin. Then you get drawn in, you start to worry about the characters, you can’t tear yourself away from the screen. By the end, my head is full of thoughts that I can’t wait to present to readers and potential viewers... but stop: a year and a half ago I already wrote about “My Unwanted Friends” by Julia Loktev.

I leaf through that article, nod absentmindedly, and agree with myself. The most important thing is said there. What should I add? Is it really possible to retell the “plot” that pushes...