Mubi Adds Oscar-Nominated Documentary ‘My Undesirable Friends’ Along with Its Sequel

Mubi Acquires Julia Loktev’s Documentary Epic "My Undesirable Friends"

Mubi has announced its acquisition of Julia Loktev’s highly regarded documentary, My Undesirable Friends. The streaming service and production company will feature both parts of Loktev’s film, starting with My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow, followed by its upcoming sequel, My Undesirable Friends: Part II – Exile, both of which are set to premiere exclusively on the platform later this year.

The first installment premiered at the 2024 New York Film Festival and has secured a spot on the Oscar shortlist for Best Documentary Feature. It also garnered accolades including Best Documentary Feature at the Gotham Awards, along with top honors from the National Society of Film Critics, the New York Film Critics Circle, and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Additionally, it is nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the upcoming Film Independent Spirit Awards.

Loktev, who emigrated from Russia to the U.S. at the age of nine, has shed light on the struggles of independent journalists in Russia through her work. The film captures their challenges amidst the oppressive environment created by the Putin regime—particularly as the full-scale war in Ukraine unfolds, forcing many into exile.

“In My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow, what begins as an intimate portrait of Russian independent journalists facing persecution turns into a poignant exploration of how authoritarianism impacts those who resist,” a Mubi release states. The documentary features key journalists, including Alesya Marokhovskaya, Anna Nemzer, Elena Kostyuchenko, Irina Dolinina, Ksenia Mironova, Olga Churakova, and Sonya Groysman. The sequel will follow these characters as they navigate their new lives in exile, grappling with feelings of shame and accountability related to the conflict.

Loktev’s previous work spans both fiction and nonfiction, including The Loneliest Planet, which received the Grand Jury Prize at the AFI Film Festival, and the Cannes-premiered thriller Day Night Day Night. Her 1998 documentary, Moment of Impact, earned prestigious awards at the Sundance Film Festival.

My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow runs for an extensive 5 hours and 24 minutes. In a recent statement, Loktev expressed her surprise at the urgency and relevance of the documentary’s themes. “When I started making My Undesirable Friends, I had no idea I would be capturing history… It’s about a country sliding into authoritarianism and about those who resist,” she noted.

The title My Undesirable Friends is a direct reference to a term used by the Kremlin, designating any organization it disapproves of, including independent media and human rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch Moscow.