What to Watch Sunday: ‘NAVALNY’ documentary chronicles Russian assassination plot
NAVALNY (9 p.m., CNN) - This acclaimed documentary, directed by Daniel Roher, unravels the assassination plot against enigmatic Russian anti-corruption campaigner and former presidential candidate Alexei Navalny, a plot allegedly linked to the Kremlin. Navalny had made powerful enemies in Russia, including Vladimir Putin himself. (NPR Fresh Air review.)
From CNN: “In August of 2020, shocking social media video emerged of Russian opposition leader Alexey (sometimes spelled Alexei) Navalny, writhing in pain inside a commercial airplane as alarmed crew and fellow passengers tried to render aid. Roher takes viewers inside what happened behind the alarming global headlines that followed: heated arguments between Navalny’s wife and the initial local Russian hospital team over his care; Navalny’s eventual emergency medical evacuation to Germany; and, the remarkable German assertion that Navalny had been poisoned by a Russian government-linked nerve agent, Novichok.”
“In a riveting account that unwinds like a real-life thriller, Roher methodically documents the careful research and analysis that unmasked the would-be killers, and why they sought to kill the man Putin apparently considers a serious threat to his power. Roher interweaves interviews with Navalny, Navalny’s family, and contemporaneous eyewitnesses to key events, with other records. The film follows the investigation into the assassination plot, and includes reporting from the investigative news organizations, Bellingcat and CNN.”
The documentary will also stream live for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com and on mobile apps or CNNgo.
Inside Eats (10:30 p.m., Food Network) - We get the debut of a new series from YouTube stars Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal — better known as Rhett & Link — two NC State grads who grew up together in North Carolina. Get full details on Rhett & Link and “Inside Eats” in this story by Korie Dean.
Some programming descriptions are provided by networks.
