Bryan Fogel

Bryan Fogel is an American film director, producer, author, playwright, speaker and human rights activist, best known for the 2017 documentary ''Icarus,'' which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 90th Academy Awards in 2018.

''The New York Times'' described Fogel's film ''Icarus'' as "Illuminating" and ''Variety'' magazine called it "A Game Changing Documentary." ''Icarus'' premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award "The Orwell Award" and the first ever "Audience Choice" Award of Sundance Film Festival London. The film was acquired in a historic $5 million sale by Netflix and launched globally on August 4, 2017 and won its first Feature Documentary Oscar with ''Icarus''. The evidence brought forward in Icarus through Russian whistle-blower Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov was instrumental in the Olympic Committee's banning of Russia from the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

After ''Icarus'', Fogel directed and produced the 2020 American documentary film ''The Dissident,'' which follows the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi and Saudi Arabia's efforts to control international dissent. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2020 and was released on December 18, 2020, by Briarcliff Entertainment. Fogel was listed in Fast Company: "The Most Creative People in Business 2021" among 72 individuals for his film ''The Dissident''. Fogel's screenplay for ''The Dissident,'' won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Documentary Screenplay award at the 73rd Writers Guild of America Awards in 2020 and received a nomination for "Best Documentary" at the (BAFTA Awards) British Academy Film Awards in 2020.

In 2022, Fogel most recently completed ''Icarus: The Aftermath'' a follow-up to his 2017 documentary ''Icarus'' that premiered at the 49th Telluride Film Festival in September 2022. A review from ''The Wrap'' describes that "the film is more assured and more moving than his 2017 expose of
Russia’s doping program."

Fogel is currently working on a Feature Documentary with Post Malone and also ''Londograd'', a 6-part scripted limited series for HBO starring Benedict Cumberbatch based on Alan Cowell’s book ''The Terminal Spy'', about poisoned KBG agent Alexander Litvinenko. Fogel will direct and executive produce ''Londograd'' via Orwell Productions.

He currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.

Early life and education

Fogel was born in Denver, Colorado. He attended the Denver Jewish Day School. He graduated from East High School and the University of Colorado Boulder.

Career

Fogel began his career in Hollywood pursuing stand-up comedy and acting. He had a small part in the 2009 Disney movie '' Race to Witch Mountain''.

Fogel has given keynote speeches to organizations around the world including the Oslo Freedom Forum in 2019 and 2020 - Human Rights Foundation and has appeared on ABC Nightline, Charlie Rose, Seth Meyers, Joe Rogan, CNN, ESPN, Meet The Press, The View, NPR, BBC and has been featured in publications around the globe including The Guardian and Financial Times.

''Jewtopia''

Fogel developed, co-wrote, and initially starred in the play '' Jewtopia'', an off-Broadway comedy about the dating lives of two young men seeking Jewish women, which was made into a feature film. The play opened in Los Angeles in 2003 and ran for 300 performances. It moved on in 2004 to the off-Broadway Westside Theater in New York, where it ran for more than three years and over a thousand performances before closing in April 2007. It is one of the longest-running and fastest-recouping productions in Off-Broadway history.

Fogel co-authored the book ''Jewtopia: The Chosen Guide for the Chosen People'', with Sam Wolfson. The book was published by Hachette Book Group and Fogel appeared on ABC's ''The View'' in support of the book.

Fogel directed, co-wrote and produced the feature film adaptation of ''Jewtopia'' which was released in 2012. The film had its U.S. premiere as the opening night gala of the 13th Newport Beach International Film Festival. The film won the audience choice award of the 2012 Malibu Film Festival.

''Icarus''

While investigating the furtive world of illegal doping in sports, Fogel connected with renegade Russian scientist, Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, a pillar of his country Russia's state-sponsored Olympic doping program. Fogel and Rodchenkov realized they held the power to reveal the major doping in sports through ''The New York Times'' on May 12, 2016. Part of Fogel's motivation was his complex view of cyclist Lance Armstrong, whom he had long suspected of doping despite avoiding detection from 500 plus tests. When it was learned that Armstrong had in fact been using performance enhancing drugs, Fogel became fascinated with how the athlete was able to carry on without the slightest suspicion for so long.

They alleged Russia had orchestrated state-sponsored fraud, conspiring to cheat the Olympics for decades, including the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where Rodchenkov, with the help of the Federal Security Service (FSB, formerly the KGB), changed steroid-tainted urine of the Russian national team to evade positive detection. This story, which Fogel had been documenting as a filmmaker for 3.5 years, working with producer Dan Cogan, is the foundation of his feature documentary film ''Icarus''.
''Icarus'' premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival where it won the first ever Special Jury "Orwell Award" and the first ever Audience Choice Award at Sundance Film Festival London. The film was acquired in a historic $5 million sale to Netflix and released worldwide on Netflix on August 4, 2017.

In December 2017, Russia was suspended from participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea under its flag, although it did send 169 athletes under the moniker "Olympic Athletes from Russia". In August 2017, Fogel met with members of the US Congress and Senate to discuss the extent of Russian tampering in global affairs, specifically the 2016 US elections.

Icarus won Best Documentary Feature at the 90th Academy Awards. as well as the SummerDocs Audience Award at the 2017 Hamptons International Film Festival.

The film was also nominated for the Best Documentary Feature at the 71st BAFTAs, and Fogel was also nominated for outstanding directorial achievement at the 70th Directors Guild of America Awards, and three 2018 Primetime Emmy Awards for writing, directing and best documentary special. Icarus also received the 2018 Edward R. Murrow Award for Outstanding Journalism.

For his work on ''Icarus'', Fogel was asked to speak for Play the Game, a Danish-led group dedicated to raising the ethical standards of sports worldwide.

''The Dissident''

Fogel co-wrote, produced, and directed the documentary ''The Dissident'' (2020), investigating the murder of Saudi Arabian ''The Washington Post'' journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul allegedly at the hands of his own government. Fogel believed that after the assassination, Khashoggi's reputation was dragged through the mud as he was painted as a terrorist sympathizer. Fogel noted that, in truth, Khashoggi was an intended reformer for his nation, aspiring to promote transparency through his journalism. Fogel has asserted that he is fighting for freedom of speech and freedom of press everywhere by bringing to light the heinous crime committed against Khashoggi. While a CIA report released by the Biden administration implicated Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in the death of Khashoggi, Fogel believes the prince will never face an Interpol arrest warrant or formal investigation considering the vast amount of wealth he owns.

Despite excellent reviews, major film studios were reluctant to pick up the film, for fear of reprisals. Eight months after its release, Briarcliff Entertainment picked up the film with intent to release it across theaters, coinciding with the second anniversary of Khashoggi's assassination. Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter wrote "Fogel's investigation is vigorous, deep and comprehensive." and Owen Gleiberman, reviewing the film in Variety, called it "an eye-opening thriller brew of corruption, cover-up, and real-world courage." Peter Sobczynski, reviewing it for Roger Ebert, said, “The new documentary ''The Dissident'' lays out the story in as clear and concise a manner as possible, and does so with enough details to make even those who have followed the case intently gasp in shock over what filmmaker Bryan Fogel has to show them.”

''Icarus: The Aftermath''

Fogel completed ''Icarus: The Aftermath'' in 2022, a follow-up to the Oscar-winning doc ''Icarus'' about Russia’s doping scandal, a 2017 deep dive into sports doping and the elaborate system of cheating among Russian Olympians, premiered at the 2022 49th Telluride Film Festival. Christian Gallichio of The Playlist wrote "A taut thriller that demonstrates how much Fogel has evolved as a political documentarian in the intervening years."

The former architect of Russia’s doping program for athletes, Grigory Rodchenkov, is in hiding and seeking asylum in Bryan Fogel’s documentary that was filmed over a five-year period. Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter wrote “''Icarus: The Aftermath'' is both more intimate and of broader scope than the earlier film. It’s documentary as spy thriller. A story of immense bravery and unspeakable sadness."

Peter Debug of Variety wrote "''The Aftermath'' is a much bigger story, taking on the dishonesty, violence and intimidation of a corrupt regime." Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter further reviews the documentary; "''Aftermath'' rediscovers the magic that the two men’s friendship provided in Icarus. It’s smart and controlled storytelling. Fogel achieves the miraculous, through following Rodchenkov’s journey to attain asylum in America, “''The Aftermath''” reconfigures our understanding of investigative documentaries by disclosing the difficult plight whistleblowers must endure once the cameras depart."

Notable reviews from the premiere at the 49th Telluride Film Festival include Steve Pond of The Wrap; "''Aftermath'' is the work of a stronger and more assured director (Bryan Fogel) and drops mindboggling revelations about the extent of Russian doping and the lengths to which Vladimir Putin’s administration will go to silence dissidents and whistleblowers, but it’s also a deeply touching portrait of a man whose life was shattered because he got tired of being part of a system that ran on lies."

Filmography

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fogel, Bryan
21st-century American dramatists and playwrights
American humorists
Living people
University of Colorado Boulder alumni
People from Denver
Jewish American dramatists and playwrights
Doping in Russia
Directors of Best Documentary Feature Academy Award winners
Film directors from Colorado
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century American Jews