SYNOPSIS
In late 2021, just before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Julia Loktev documents the daily life of TV Rain, Russia's last independent media outlet. Structured in five chapters, the film weaves iPhone footage and archival materials to capture the reality of journalists facing raids, surveillance, and exile pressure. Loktev delicately captures the ambivalence between their tight solidarity and deep anxiety, persistently documenting the urgency and gradual collapse of a resistance space under authoritarian oppression.
* This screening includes two 10-minute intermissions. Re-entry will be permitted during both breaks..(1st Intermission: approx. 1h 20m into the film, 2nd Intermission: approx. 1h 58m into the film)
REVIEW
In the winter of 2021, reporters at Russia’s independent channel TV Rain were branded as “foreign agents.” Julia Loktev’s sweeping documentary begins here, following a group of female journalists in the final weeks before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine as they navigate the absurd machinery of state propaganda and the immense personal risks of resisting it.
We meet the key figures in this collective struggle: Ksenia, desperately working to produce the evening news; Anna, who tells stories of everyday heroes while trying to shield her own life from state pressure; Sonya, who launches a podcast named after her predicament; and Alesya, who, suspecting her home is bugged, fights to protect those she loves.
Structured in six chapters and running an epic 338 minutes (with a 15-minute intermission), the film opens with the frantic energy of the newsroom. Its pace gradually slows, the tone darkening as the inevitable invasion approaches. What emerges is an intimate and vivid portrait of courage in the face of autocracy: a refusal to abandon faith in justice, and an unwavering commitment to the principles of journalism, even as the light narrows around them.
DIRECTOR'S NOTE
How do you fight for the truth when your country declares you an outlaw? How can you live under and work against an authoritarian government? And how do you know when it’s time to leave? I was lucky to capture history. The world of the film no longer exists in Moscow — a vibrant community of journalists and activists fiercely opposed to Putin’s regime. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, all our characters were forced into exile, along with one million Russians. They can’t go back — they’d be arrested — and even in Europe, they’ve received threats. Still they continue reporting the truth.
