The Forum Film Festival 2023 will present three films on May 3 (“Navalny”) May 10 (“Descendant”) and May 17 (“RRR”).
On Wednesday, May 3, the Forum will screen “Navalny” at Prior-Jollek Hall, Antilles School Campus, St. Thomas.
Best Documentary – Academy Awards 2023
6 p.m. – Opening of the Courtyard
Starting time 7 p.m.
Adults – $10; Students – $5; Children – Free of charge
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The documentary centers on events around the August 2020 assassination attempt on former Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny by poisoning. The domestic flight he was on from Siberia to Moscow needed to make an emergency landing upon his falling ill aboard. He was ultimately transferred from a Russian hospital to Germany, both for further fear for his life if left in Russia without protection, and for fear that any evidence of the poisoning could be destroyed by the state. There were initial and continuing suspicions that the attempt was either backed or directed by the Kremlin under President Vladimir Putin, which he has always denied.
After the fact, Navalny states his surprise in believing that he was safer from such state attempts to kill him the more recognition he gained, i.e. being too recognizable a figure. Beyond his staff and his loyal family, he ended up being secretly surrounded by a small group of investigative journalists that includes Bulgarian Christo Grozev with Bellingcat and Russian Maria Pevchikh with the Anti-Corruption Foundation who knew that the state would not investigate the poisoning.
What to do with their findings culminates with Navalny’s highly publicized return to Moscow on January 17, 2021 and how to take advantage of that return to release their findings to have the greatest impact. —Huggo
