‘Navalny,’ about dissident fighting Kremlin, wins doc Oscar

By MARK KENNEDY
AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — “Navalny,” a look at a Russian opposition leader following an attempt on his life, has won the Oscar for best documentary feature. Director Daniel Roher’s portrait of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has shadowy operatives, truth-seeking journalists, conspiracy theories and Soviet-era poisons. It is a film with obvious political poignance following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Roher was able to sit down with Navalny during his brief stay in Berlin in 2020 and early 2021 as he was recovering from being poisoned. The film was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won both the documentary audience award and the festival favorite award.