Navalny poisoning documentary wins Oscar

Navalny, a documentary centred around the poisoning of jailed Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny has won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature; the 95th Oscars ceremony was held in Los Angeles.

Canadian director Daniel Roher shared Navalny’s story: how he was poisoned in August 2020, how the opposition politician found the perpetrators, and how he returned to Russia in January 2021 and was immediately detained in the airport.

Earlier, Navalny won a BAFTA. “Congratulations to everyone involved! But at this very moment, the main character of the film is in prison. Free Alexey Navalny!” the politician’s press secretary Kira Yarmysh commented.

The short documentary film Anastasia, a story about former activist of the banned Open Russia organisation Anastasia Shevchenko serving a prison sentence in Russia, was shortlisted for an Oscar. The film did not make the final nominee list.

Haulout, a film by Evgenia and Maxim Arbugaev from Russia’s Yakutia, was also nominated for an Academy Awards.