Navalny film director Daniel Loher said it was “disgusting” for him to ask a friend in the documentary what his message would be to the Russian people if he were killed.
Oscar-winning documentary director Alexei Navalny said he was grateful to the late Russian opposition leader for his final message to the world: “defending and establishing democracy.”
Navalny’s director, Daniel Lohar, befriended his subjects and their families when he interviewed the democracy defender before he was sent to prison in January 2021. Lohar remained in contact with Navalny until his death in a Russian penal colony. A Canadian documentary filmmaker told the PA news agency that it was “disgusting” that his friend asked him in the documentary what his message would be to the Russian people if he were killed.
“The fact that they decided to kill me means that we are incredibly strong. We must harness this strength and not give up,” Navalny said in the 2022 film. Lohar also said there was “no need to be surprised” by Navalny’s death, but admitted he was “shocked” to hear the news. He described his reaction as akin to cognitive dissonance and being “a little in disbelief” in response to shocking news.
A Canadian documentary filmmaker said he was “pleased and not surprised” that Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, addressed world leaders in Germany just hours after her husband’s death was announced. “It was,” he said. He said her “very dignified two-minute speech” made her briefly the “moral center of the world”. At the time, she told Russian President Vladimir Putin that she and her allies were “responsible for what they did to our country and to me.” To my family and husband. “I don’t know how the[opposition]organization and Yulia’s political structure will change in the coming weeks and months, but I do know that the family is passionate, active, and perhaps now vengeful,” Lohar said. I know that,” he said.
He said he was refraining from contacting Navalnaya, who attended the wedding, because he wanted to give him “respect and space.” He added, “When the time comes, I will send her a message and tell her how much I care about her and her family, how much I appreciate her, and that I will never forget her until the day I die.” It reminds me of…” he added. His key message to her husband, and to all of us, is to be active citizens, not inactive, to participate in democracy, and to help defend democracy where it is vulnerable. And to help install democracy where it doesn’t exist. ”
Lohar said it would have been “disgusting and taboo” to try to prevent Navalny from returning to Russia, saying Navalny was arrested after recuperating in Germany for nerve agent poisoning, which he blamed on the Kremlin. It is said that there was a possibility that The director added: “He understood the risks. He was not naive. He did things with both eyes open. It is up to history to judge and debate the value and virtue of his decisions. But no matter what happened yesterday, he will continue to be a courageous and heroic figure to millions of people.”
Lohar also described him as a “curious man” who used his “obsessions and interests and passions” to fuel his political life. He also criticized the Foreign Secretary after Prime Minister David Cameron told broadcasters at the Munich Security Conference, where Navalny’s wife was also present, that there would be “consequences” for the death of the 47-year-old Navalny.
Mr Rohr told PA: “We talk cheap, we act, we act with political courage… we will take everything the prime minister and the foreign secretary say with a grain of salt.” They don’t have the moral clarity of Mr. Navalny, and they don’t have the courage of Mr. Navalny. These people don’t act, they just talk, and I think that’s why so many people think politicians are shit. He said Navalny’s life had taught him “to have hope, not to be afraid, not to be lethargic.”
Roher said Navalny deliberately designed the opposition organization “with continuity in mind in the event of his death.” But the director said: “He didn’t want to die. The man loved life, loved his family. He was a very bright person. But he knew that his job was dangerous, and what happened But then this tragedy happened… It reminds us of the saying, “The night is darkest before dawn.” And I know that the Russian opposition has a wealth of talent. ”
Rohr’s film Navalny won the 2023 Academy Award for Best Documentary.