IndieWire's Filmmaker Toolkit

'My Undesirable Friends' Director Julia Loktev

April 7, 2026·49 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

American filmmaker Julia Loktev, born in the Soviet Union, returned to Moscow in 2021 to make a documentary on the persistence of independent journalism in Putin’s Russia, only to find herself documenting its death in real time as Russia invades Ukraine. Julia walked us through how she felt living inside this dark moment of Russian history, and how she can't help draw comparisons back home. Read our full review of "My Undesirable Friends" - https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/my-undesirable-friends-part-1-last-air-in-moscow-review-1235053151/ Subscribe to Top Of The Line - IndieWire's new newsletter about the craft of film and TV - https://cloud.email.indiewire.com/signup/ Listen to the Screen Talk Podcast. Every Friday IndieWire editors Anne Thompson & Ryan Lattanzio break down insider news from Hollywood and debate the latest films and series. - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/indiewire-screen-talk/id893977298 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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