To Russia with Love (2014)

Directed by

Noam Gonick

Genre

documentary film

Country

Canada

Runtime

1h 30m

Rating

4.0 of 10 from 16 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary follows LGBT athletes and activists during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics as they wrestle with whether to publicly protest Russia's anti-gay propaganda law. It includes interviews with several high-profile figures in sports and activism who share their perspectives on the ethical conflict.

thoughtfultensesoberinginspirationalslow-pacedinterview-drivenurgentcourageous

What happens

To Russia with Love is a 2014 documentary film by Canadian director Noam Gonick. Shot in Sochi, Russia during the 2014 Winter Olympics, the film centres on the controversial Russian gay propaganda law, and the ethical dilemmas faced by openly LGBT athletes such as Johnny Weir, Belle Brockhoff, Anastasia Bucsis and Blake Skjellerup around whether to speak out against the law while competing in Russia. The film was narrated by Jane Lynch, and also included interviews with Billie Jean King, Greg Louganis, Simona Meiler, Charline Labonté, Brian Burke, Mark Tewksbury, David Remnick, Stephen Fry and Jason Collins. The film premiered on the Epix cable network in the United States in August 2014. It had its Canadian premiere at the Inside Out Film and Video Festival in 2015, and received selected other theatrical screenings before being broadcast by CBC Television. The film received a GLAAD Media Award nomination for Outstanding Documentary at the 26th GLAAD Media Awards. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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