How to watch the Navalny documentary — is it streaming?

Amid the ongoing situation involving the death of Alexei Navalny, here’s everything you need to know about the Oscar-winning documentary, Navalny — including where to watch it and if it’s streaming. 

Hindsight can be a powerful thing in the realm of documentary filmmaking, capable of completely changing how we perceive the subject at hand. HBO’s Paradise Lost films, for example, were given new significance amid the release of the West Memphis Three.

But Navalny takes this one step further, as Vladimir Putin’s opposition chillingly foreshadows his own death. He refused to stand down in a bid to fight for the freedom of Russia, despite knowing it made him a marked man. 

Navalny dropped in 2022, going on to win the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 2023. But on February 16, 2024, it was announced that he died in Russian prison, giving the film an entirely new poignancy. 

Is the Navalny documentary streaming?

Navalny, the 2022 documentary about the late Alexei Navalny, is available for streaming on Max now. 

It makes sense that the film is available on Max, as it’s distributed by the platform’s owner, Warner Bros. You can sign up to Max here.

Is the Navalny documentary on Netflix?

No, Navalny isn’t available to watch on Netflix at the time of writing. 

We’ll be sure to keep this space updated if this changes. 

What is Navalny about?

As per the official synopsis: “Navalny is the Oscar-winning film following Russia’s former opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, in the wake of his Novichok poisoning as he aggressively works to uncover who was behind his assassination attempt in this gripping documentary thriller.”

It goes on to state: “In August 2020, a plane traveling from Siberia to Moscow made an emergency landing. One of its passengers, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was deathly ill. 

“Taken to a local Siberian hospital and eventually evacuated to Berlin, doctors confirmed that he had been poisoned with Novichok, a nerve agent implicated in attacks on other opponents of the Russian government. President Vladimir Putin immediately cast doubt on the findings and denied any involvement.

“While recovering, Navalny and his team – already with a large social media following in tow – partnered with the data investigative journalism outlet Bellingcat as well as other international news organizations to investigate his attempted assassination and find proof of the Kremlin’s involvement.”

The doc is shot as the story unfolds, showing Navalny’s eventual return to Russia and subsequent arrest. Navalny knew he would be in danger, but he refused to back down in a bid to stand up to Putin and fight for the freedom of his people. 

On Friday, February 16, it was revealed that Navalny had died in prison. Ivan Zhdanov, the director of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, wrote on X: “When Alexei’s lawyer and mother arrived at the colony this morning, they were told that the cause of Navalny’s death was sudden death syndrome.”

Meanwhile, Navalny’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, commented: “Alexey Navalny was murdered. His death occurred on February 16 at 2:17pm local time, according to the official message to Alexey’s mother.

“An employee of the colony said that the body of Navalny is now in Salekhard. It was picked up by investigators from the IC. Now they are conducting ‘investigations’ with him. We demand that Alexey Navalny’s body be handed over to his family immediately.”

An anonymous source, cited as an experienced paramedic, told Novaya Gazeta Europe on Sunday that the famed Putin critic’s body had been delivered to the morgue and that it was “bruised.”

Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, who fought for freedom by his side, has since shared a statement on X in which she said: “I will continue the work of Alexei Navalny. Continue to fight for our country. And I invite you to stand next to me.”