A challenging documentary to navigate, requiring extensive outreach to identify the right individuals willing to speak openly about their experiences. This included a Russian activist who has faced serious threats to his life and was affiliated with other activists who were later assassinated, alongside Marina Litvinenko, whose husband, Alexander Litvinenko, was poisoned with radioactive polonium-210.

Directing and editing the film was an especially rewarding experience, allowing us to develop a dark, atmospheric tone while exploring the complex political sensitivities surrounding international espionage, state power and personal resistance. The project required careful handling of deeply sensitive subject matter, balancing the human stories at its centre with the wider geopolitical implications.