“It’s a global story about the price independent journalists pay for their job”: Director Vera Krichevskaya on documentary F@ck This Job

F@ck This Job is the timely new documentary from director Vera Krichevskaya that follows the tumultuous story of Russia’s only independent news station, Dozhd TV. Founded in 2008 by the glamorous Natasha, who had a background in show business and the burgeoning socialite scene that pre-dated Putin’s rise to power, drove a bright pink car and enjoyed a dance in the rain, it was originally conceived as a place for nice conversations and optimism. However, it quickly took on a new mission: to broadcast the truth of events unfolding in Putin’s Russia too often ignored by its state-run channels.

Its correspondents frequently found themselves on the frontlines of uncovered protests and conflicts, as captured in one reporter’s exclamations of “f*ck this job” as live rounds are fired over his head, giving the documentary its punchy title. But it also attracted an incredible array of young, open-minded and unconventional media talent, many from the LGBTQ+ community – a fact put into stark relief when Putin then passed anti-gay laws. It emerged as a beacon of social and political liberty under an increasingly oppressive regime.

Through the lens of one continually underestimated woman and her team of journalists, 100% committed to their cause in the face of seemingly endless obstacles and genuine threat of danger, the documentary becomes a powerful and urgent exposé of the reality of worsening press freedom in Russia, given additional resonance as news breaks of a Russian invasion into Ukraine.

The Upcoming had a chat with Krichevskaya about why now was the time to tell the story of independent news station Dozhd TV, how political events are unfolding fast as we speak and the film’s broader message about the importance of truth-telling in the era of fake news, disinformation and propaganda.

Sarah Bradbury

F@ck This Job is released in select cinemas on 24^th February 2022.

Watch the trailer for F@ck this Job here: