Filmmaker Julia Loktev’s nearly six-hour documentary, “My Undesirable Friends: Part II - Exile,” follows Russian journalists who fled their country after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Opening in selected theatres this weekend, the film concludes Loktev’s five-year project, which began in 2021 with independent journalists facing increasing government pressure under President Vladimir Putin.

Many journalists fled Russia within hours of the invasion, while Loktev continued documenting their lives and reporting from exile. She said the film explores perseverance and how journalists maintain hope and continue working as public attention shifts elsewhere.

Loktev, who was born in the former Soviet Union and moved to the United States at nine, filmed her subjects using an iPhone. Her earlier documentary, “My Undesirable Friends: Part I - Last Air in Moscow,” was shortlisted for an Oscar nomination.

Russian authorities have designated dozens of media outlets and journalists as “foreign agents,” restricted their advertising and imprisoned journalists. Many independent newsrooms have relocated abroad.

One subject, former journalist Peter Ruzavin, joined Ukraine’s army, saying journalism alone could not change reality. Loktev hopes to make a third instalment if Russia’s political situation changes.

She said the film reminds audiences that ongoing problems persist even after public attention moves on.