An Anniversary at the Oscars
- Anela Picotte
- Apr 2, 2024
- 4 min read
The Year After A Winning Documentary, Tragedy at for the Russian Resistance
Just ahead of the year anniversary of his documentary’s Oscar win, Russian revolutionary Alexei Navalny died in prison on February 16, with his life continuing to represent the struggle for Russian political freedom.
Among those receiving Navalny’s 2023 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature Film were Navalny’s wife, Yulia, who appeared in a striking red dress, and the film’s director Daniel Roher.
“There’s one person who couldn’t be with us here tonight,” said Roher.
“Alexei Navalny, the leader of the Russian Opposition, remains in solitary confinement for what he calls, I wanna make sure we get his words exactly right, ‘Vladimir Putin’s unjust war of aggression in Ukraine.’ Alexei, the world has not forgotten your vital message to us all. We cannot, we must not be afraid to oppose dictators and authoritarianism wherever it rears its head.”
As Yulia assumed center stage, the somber audience witnessed another moving message for Navalny.
“My husband is in prison just for telling the truth. My husband is in prison just for defending democracy,” said Yulia. “Alexei, I am dreaming of the day when you will be free and our country will be free. Stay strong my love.”
The documentary filmed Navalny’s efforts in hiding from the Russian government in Germany after a brush with death. During a flight from Siberia to Moscow in 2020, Alexi Navalny began to experience symptoms of poisoning, placing him in a Siberian hospital.
Despite armed guards, limits on any visitation, and few welfare checks, Navalny had severe difficulty but was eventually transferred to Germany. Here, a Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok was revealed to have been the agent of Navalny’s attack.
Known to have a generally low kill rate despite its intense neurological effects, Russian intelligence officials revealed to Business Insider that Putin continues to use the drug to send strong messages when connected back to Russia.
Navalny miraculously survived his still intensely critical condition and being a hostage at the Russian hospital, recovering with his family and Roher’s limited crew in a German secluded area.
Also with the help of Bulgarian investigative journalist Christo Grozev, the group not only filmed Navalny’s progression to returning home but was also able to uncover figures behind the plot on his life. The documentary saw the team weave connections and names until a dangerous phone call confrontation ultimately drew an agent’s unknowing confession to the scheme.
Grozev served as the lead Russian investigator for Bellingcat which, established in 2014, serves as an investigative journalism organization based in the Netherlands renowned for open-source intelligence and fact-checking.
Upon the final culmination of the film, Navalny attempted to re-enter Russia in January 2021 but was arrested at the airport. He stayed incarcerated through the release of his documentary, its nomination and Oscars win, and ultimately his passing, but was only just sentenced to 19 more years in 2023.
According to Russia’s Federal Prison Service, 47-year-old Navalny reportedly lost consciousness after a walk, unable to be revived, and medics immediately pronounced him dead.
The Associated Press also reported how several Russian cities saw Soviet-era memorials for victims of repression where people often lay flowers being forcefully sealed by police, more than 100 violators being arrested around the country in a day.
On March 11, Putin claimed he had supported the idea of a prison exchange for Navalny, using his legal name for the first time in years, alongside his initial comment on his opponent’s death.
“It happens. There is nothing you can do about it,” said Putin. “It’s life.”
Russian political challengers to Putin have long faced suppression in jail, exile, blocking from ballots, and threats such as Navalny and his family experienced. Less than a month after Navalny’s death, the Russian presidential election spanned March 15 to 17 where Putin won re-election to six more years in office by a landslide; his fifth term.
In 2020, changes to the constitution saw the removal of presidential term limits which could allow Putin presidency until 2036 according to CNN.
Beyond the politics, audiences of Navalny were also able to see Alexei as a father, husband, and friend to those helping him defend his country. In the final frames before his arrest, Alexi was able to deliver a sincere message to the Russian people in their native tongue in case he was ever lost.
“You’re not allowed to give up. If they decide to kill me, it means that we are incredibly strong. We need to utilize this power to not give up to remember we are a huge power that is being oppressed by these bad dudes,” said Navalny translated onscreen.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing. So don’t be inactive.”
This year’s 96th Oscars saw Navalny honored in the Academy Award’s memoriam segment alongside others like Matthew Perry, Richard Lewis, and British politician and actress Glenda Jackson.
Click to Watch the 2024 Oscar's Memoriam, opened by dedication to Navalny.
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