Navalny

We offer two free resources for Navalny, the 2023 Oscar Winner for Best Documentary Feature Film: A Learning Guide and a Discussion Guide.

Navalny is designed for teaching Civics, Current Events, Government, Journalism, Political Science, Social Studies, Russian History, World History and AP World History: Modern.

Film runtime: 1 hour, 38 minutes.

Film rating: R for language. Common Sense Media rates Navalny as appropriate for ages 14+.

Grade Levels: Our resources are appropriate for high school students. The learning guide is also applicable for community learning settings, university discussion, etc.

Reviews: Read the Video Librarian review of Navalny.

Where to watch:

• Navalny is available on Amazon Prime and global streaming plasforms.
• Licenses for Navalny public and private screenings are also available through GoodDocs. License options are available for high school, community college, college and university, public library, non-profit & community group, and corporate and for-profit screenings.

We recommend this film and guide combination for public film screening events.

Literary connection: For a film-book pairing, teach the Navalny documentary with Alexei Navalny’s posthumous memoir Patriot.

Navalny Learning Guide

This guide is flexible. Key Learning Sections include a driving question, personal reflections, discussion questions, extension activities, additional resources and, in some cases, cross connections between sections. This makes the guide useful for classroom settings, hybrid learning, homeschooling,  community learning groups, after-school film clubs, university discussions and more.

The guide includes:

Facilitation Guidelines
Open Letter from the Film Team
Biography of Alexei Anatolievich Navalny

Key Learning Sections

1. Navalny and Putin (Current Events, World History, Russian History)
2. Civic Engagement: Political Corruption, Nationalism, Leadership (Current Events, Civics, Government, Political Science)
3. Data Tracking, State Surveillance, and the Role of Journalism (Data, Journalism, Civics, Current Events)
4. Social Media, Censorship, and Propaganda (Journalism, Social Studies, Political Science)
5. State-Sanctioned Assassinations and Political Prisoners (Social Studies, Government, Political Science)
6. Power: What Is Power? Who Has Power? (Journalism, Social Studies, Government, Political Science, Current Events)

Preview Learning Guide

Navalny Discussion Guide 

• Facilitation Guidelines
• Open Letter from the Film Team
• Introducing Alexei Anatolievich Navalny
• Navalny and Putin
• Navalny Under Attack
• Enter Bellingcat
• The Situation Today
• In Alexey Navalny’s Own Words
• Resources for Further Study