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From Stage to Screen
On April 16, 2026, INSIDE OUT made its stage debut in Montreal, bringing together documentary theatre, live music, and immersive storytelling to amplify the voices and experiences of political prisoners in Russia.
That event marked an important milestone for the project, but INSIDE OUT continues to evolve.
We are now developing its film version, bringing together the footage, performances, and stories captured throughout the project into a new cinematic form. On October 16, 2026, we will share an early glimpse into that process and invite the audience into this next stage of the project’s development.
Our goal is to bring these stories to wider audiences in Canada and internationally through film, future performances, and community events.
Highlights from the Shooting Blocks and Montreal Stage Debut
About the Project
INSIDE OUT is a multimedia art and human rights initiative developed by the director Lada Iskanderova with the support and involvement of the Russian Canadian Democratic Alliance (RCDA), bringing together artists, filmmakers, musicians, and volunteers from across Canada and beyond.
Based on real letters exchanged between political prisoners in Russia and the people who write to them, the project combines documentary theatre, short art films, live performance, and music.
Through these personal stories, INSIDE OUT explores the human experience of political imprisonment and the connections that survive despite repression, isolation, and distance.
The project brings these stories to audiences through two interconnected formats:
- The Performance: An immersive theatrical experience combining actors, live music, film projections, and audience engagement.
- The Film: A standalone audiovisual work drawing on documentary testimony, artistic interpretation, and performance, currently in production.
The Book That Inspired INSIDE OUT
INSIDE OUT was inspired by Dawn Will Surely Come, a collection of letters to people imprisoned in Russia for political reasons, created by the independent human rights organization OVD-Info. In June 2026, Russian authorities designated OVD-Info an “extremist organization,” effectively banning its activities in Russia.
The book emerged from a culture of solidarity that grew following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Around the world, Russian-speaking communities began organizing letter-writing gatherings to support political prisoners, creating spaces for solidarity and human connection across prison walls.
These letters, published through OVD-Info’s Vestochka initiative, became one of the documentary foundations of INSIDE OUT, inspiring the artistic transformation of personal correspondence into theatre, film, and visual art.
Why This Matters
Behind every statistic about political imprisonment is a human story — a person with hopes, fears, relationships, and a life beyond prison walls.
In Russia, people continue to face imprisonment for opposing the war in Ukraine, expressing dissent, and defending fundamental freedoms. Their stories are too often reduced to headlines and numbers.
INSIDE OUT seeks to restore their individuality and humanity by bringing their own words to the forefront.
At the heart of the project is a simple act: writing a letter.
A letter can overcome isolation, offer solidarity, and remind someone that they have not been forgotten. By sharing real correspondence through art and performance, we hope to inspire more people to take this step.
For audiences in Canada and beyond, INSIDE OUT also creates space to reflect on political repression, propaganda, the experiences of displaced communities, and the importance of protecting democratic freedoms.
We believe that art can build understanding, encourage dialogue, and transform empathy into meaningful action.
Support INSIDE OUT
And it is only the beginning. Your support will help us complete the film, continue developing the project, and bring these stories to new audiences.
Your donation will support:
- feature film post-production
- sound design and color grading
- accessibility and subtitling
- artist fees for Winnipeg & Montreal collaborators
- community screenings
- touring support
- Canada presentations and outreach activities
Help us keep these voices heard. Support the project, share its story, and stand in solidarity with political prisoners.
Make a Donation
Your contribution supports film production and post-production, artistic collaboration, translation, and future screenings.