My Undesirable Friends: Part II – Exile is a 2026 American documentary film produced and directed by Julia Loktev. A sequel to the 2024 film My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow, it follows several independent Russian journalists as they flee the country into exile, following Vladimir Putin government's repression of free speech.
The film had its world premiere out of competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on September 4, 2026. It is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States by Mubi on October 9.
Premise Several journalists Anna Nemzer, Ksenia Mironova, Sonya Groysman, Olga Churakova, Irina Dolinina and Alesya Marokhovskaya flee Russia and travel to various countries where they struggle with shame and accountability for the Russo-Ukrainian war they all oppose.
Production Production commenced simultaneously with Part I, taking place on an iPhone. Meryl Streep and Laura Poitras serve as executive producers.
Release In January 2026, Mubi acquired distribution rights to the film. It had its world premiere Out of Competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on September 4, 2026. It had its North American premiere at the 53rd Telluride Film Festival on September 6. It was also selected for the Main Slate of the 2026 New York Film Festival. It is scheduled to be theatrically released on October 9, 2026.
Reception On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 91 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
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