Julia Loktev's documentary on exiled Russian journalists shines at Venice Festival

At the Venice International Film Festival, Julia Loktev presented My Undesirable Friends, Part II: Exile, a documentary screened out of competition on September 4. The film continues the story begun in Part I, which chronicled independent Russian journalists from October 2021 up to their hurried departure after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. By the end of the first segment, reporters Anya, Olya, Ksyusha, Valeria and Edik, all employed by TV Rain, had sought refuge abroad, fearing criminalization and loss of freedom as the government labeled dissenting voices as foreign agents.

Part II follows their lives in exile, underscoring the personal toll of repression. The documentary has quickly become a standout of the festival's 83rd edition, and the first part remains accessible on the Mubi streaming platform.