To Save and Project ’26: The Long Way Home (Remastered and Expanded)

Boris Grebenshchikov was no Dean Reed—and not just because his name is so much more difficult to spell. Unlike the American pseudo-defector, Grebenshchikov never submitted his lyrics to the Soviet censors for approval. He remains a true rock & rebel. Grebenshchikov also might have been a crossover star in America, but it just didn’t quite work out. The late, great filmmaker Michael Apted followed Grebenshchikov during his bid for breakout Glasnost fame in the long unavailable documentary The Long Way Home, which screens with a new afterward (directed by Steven Lawrence & Susanne Rostock) during the 2026 To Save and Project festival at MoMA.

During the 1980s, Grebenshchikov worked outside the official state system, but he was enormously popular. Consequently, it made sense for CBS Records to sign him, with plans to capitalize on the Glasnost-driven publicity. However, the project appears to run out of steam during the recording sessions. It wasn’t for a lack of musical support. Grebenshchikov’s album was produced by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, who recruited Annie Lennox and Chrissie Hynde to sing on some tracks. However, Grebenshchikov often confused the engineers, changing his concept for songs midway through.

Ultimately, the moment might have already passed. CBS booked Grebenshchikov on Letterman, but they had little stock in the field. His Russian fans were resistant to the English lyrics while his pronounced influences from Russian and Celtic folk music might have been too exotic for American tastes. Yet, the moment was real. 80s kids will recall Pepsi airing Russian-themed commercials in America.

In fact, Grebenshchikov’s music, as documented in Apted’s original film, is consistently interesting, because he has a distinctive style. He also lived up to rock’s rebel roots, by calling out the hypocrisies of Russian society. Clearly, he paid an economic price, because his living quarters did not match the volume of his fanbase. Yet, Apted treads carefully when politics are addressed—presumably in the spirit of Glasnost reconciliation.

Those times are gone in the new afterward. Apted had long hoped to produce a follow-up doc (as the director of the 7-Up series, revisiting subjects was a fruitful habit for him), so the postscript was a way of honoring his wishes. Lawrence and Rostock find Grebenshchikov living in exile after denouncing Putin’s dirty war in Ukraine. Grebenshchikov does not mince words with a clearcut on-camera condemnation: “This war is obscene and deranged and the people who started it are criminals in all possible senses of the word.” Now that’s a rock & roll rebel.

Indeed, Apted’s 1989 film and the 2026 postscript inspire all kinds of respect for Grebenshchikov, musically, politically, and personally. Honestly, his story is remarkable and Apted was an important filmmaker, so hopefully The Long Way Home will finally get the attention it deserves. Furthermore, Apted’s Tiananmen Square documentary Moving the Mountain ought to benefit from similar restoration and follow-up treatment, because it is an excellent film that would make an intriguing and ironic double feature with his Grebenshchikov doc. Highly recommended, The Long Way Home screens tomorrow (1/28) and Thursday (1/29) as part of MoMA’s To Save and Project.