Netflix has a goldmine with “Icarus,” its documentary about Russia’s doping program, especially with the recent announcement by the International Olympic Committee that bans Russia from the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. "Icarus" is about an elaborate doping scheme involving Russian government and its athletes. Many are saying that because Fogel stumbled onto an international scandal while making the film, it led to the IOC ban.
The film is expected to screen this weekend in Los Angeles and the same next weekend in New York. “Icarus” is available to Netflix subscribers on its streaming platform. Controversy or not, “Icarus” is an incredible documentary and quite possibly a contender for a best documentary Academy Award, it just needs this theatrical release to be eligible for the award.
On 2.1.17 I wrote:
"Given all the attention that Russia’s Vladmir Putin has been getting of late, it would be very hard to find a more relevant film than Bryan Fogel’s documentary Icarus, which deals with the Russian government’s Olympic cheating scandal. The scandal was uncovered by accident by Fogel, who was following a Russian scientist for a doping documentary, but found out he had a much bigger story at hand. This is the kind of film where a twist happens in almost every frame and the filmmaker, Fogel, seems to have stumbled upon a goldmine of a narrative."
Two months ago, it was announced that Russia’s was banned from the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Many claim the reason for this punishment was "Icarus" and the evidence it layed forth onscreen.
A N.Y. Times report has gone a little more in-depth with the whole Russia/IOC debacle, and investigated the massive state-run doping program. Grigory Rodchenkov, the main subject of "Icarus," was the mastermind behind Russia’s antidoping laboratory during 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Thanks to Jeff Wells over at Hollywood-Elsewhere for these quotes from the two-month old N.Y. Times story:
“Russia’s government officials are forbidden to attend, its flag will not be displayed at the opening ceremony and its anthem will not sound.
“Any athletes from Russia who receive special dispensation to compete will do so as individuals wearing a neutral uniform, and the official record books will forever show that Russia won zero medals.
“That was the punishment issued Tuesday to the proud sports juggernaut that has long used the Olympics as a show of global force but was exposed for systematic doping in previously unfathomable ways.
“The International Olympic Committee, after completing its own prolonged investigations that reiterated what had been known for more than a year, handed Russia penalties for doping so severe they were without precedent in Olympics history.”