More than three decades after its original release, The Long Way Home returns in a newly remastered and expanded edition, reclaiming its place as a vital document of music, politics, and artistic freedom. Directed by the late Michael Apted and produced by Steven Lawrence, The Long Way Home: Remastered and Expanded (2026) will screen as part of the 22nd MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation, reaffirming the film’s enduring relevance and historical importance.
The feature documentary will screen on Wednesday, January 28 at 7:00 PM at The Museum of Modern Art, with an in-person introduction by producer Steven Lawrence and editor Susanne Rostock. Presented in English and Russian with English subtitles, the 98-minute film chronicles a singular cultural moment at the end of the Cold War—when music briefly bridged political divides that had long seemed insurmountable.
A Portrait of a Soviet Rock Icon at a Turning Point in History
At the heart of The Long Way Home is Boris Grebenshchikov, the enigmatic frontman of the legendary Russian rock band Aquarium. Long a symbol of the Soviet underground music scene, Grebenshchikov became the first Soviet rock musician to record an album in the West during the early, hopeful days of Glasnost. The film captures his disbelief as he collaborates with Western music icons including Dave Stewart, Annie Lennox, Chrissie Hynde, Ray Cooper, and members of Crosby, Stills & Nash.
What unfolds is not simply a behind-the-scenes account of cross-cultural collaboration, but a complex portrait of artistic transformation. As Grebenshchikov embraces new creative freedom abroad, tensions arise back home. Members of Aquarium feel abandoned, while longtime Russian fans struggle to reconcile his English-language songs with the voice they once knew as their own. Apted’s camera captures these contradictions with empathy, allowing the artist’s exhilaration and uncertainty to coexist onscreen.
Michael Apted’s Intimate and Expansive Direction
By the time he directed The Long Way Home, Michael Apted was already widely celebrated for his ability to draw extraordinary candor from his subjects. Known for the landmark Up series and acclaimed films such as Coal Miner’s Daughter, Gorillas in the Mist, and Bring on the Night, Apted had an unmatched talent for revealing the emotional undercurrents beneath public personas.
In The Long Way Home, that gift is fully realized. Apted avoids easy narratives of East-meets-West triumph, instead offering a layered study of an artist navigating sudden freedom, cultural displacement, and creative risk. The film was released to critical acclaim following its UK broadcast and Sundance premiere, yet quietly faded from circulation over the years—making its restoration all the more significant.
A Second Life Through Restoration and a New Epilogue
Thanks to producer Steven Lawrence, The Long Way Home has now been given a second life. The 2026 remastered edition restores the film’s visual and sonic richness while expanding its scope with a newly created epilogue directed by Lawrence and editor Susanne Rostock.
The epilogue traces Grebenshchikov’s life following the release of his U.S. album Radio Silence, documenting his evolution as an artist in exile and, more recently, as an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. This addition partially fulfills Apted’s long-held ambition to revisit the story and reflect on its consequences—an ambition left unrealized before his death in 2021.
A Collaborative Legacy Behind the Camera
Steven Lawrence’s decades-long career as a producer and director has been defined by his commitment to artist-driven and socially engaged storytelling. His collaborations with Apted include The Long Way Home and Married in America, alongside projects exploring activism, music, science, and everyday heroism. Lawrence’s involvement in the remastering ensures the film’s historical sensitivity and contemporary relevance remain intact.
Editor and co-director Susanne Rostock, a longtime collaborator of Apted, brings her signature poetic sensibility to both the original film and its new epilogue. Over more than 20 years, Rostock helped shape some of Apted’s most powerful documentaries. Her recent directorial work, including Following Harry and Sing Your Song, further underscores her dedication to films that blend intimacy with political urgency.
Preserving Cultural Memory at MoMA
The inclusion of The Long Way Home: Remastered and Expanded in MoMA’s International Festival of Film Preservation highlights the film’s importance not only as a music documentary, but as a historical artifact. It captures a fleeting moment when artistic collaboration seemed capable of transcending ideological divides—a moment whose echoes feel particularly resonant today.
Through restoration, expansion, and renewed public presentation, The Long Way Home stands as a testament to the power of cinema to preserve cultural memory. More than a portrait of a musician, it is a meditation on freedom, identity, and the complicated cost of crossing borders—artistic, political, and personal.