One of the first post-WWII trials to hold Germans to account, the January 1946 Kiev trial took place in the USSR and has since become known as the Kiev Nuremberg. Overlapping in both time and scope with that infamous trial, the tribunal took place over the course of two days where 15 Germans stood trial for war crimes, ultimately being convicted and hanged for atrocities committed. 

Utilizing three hours of courtroom footage that he found in an archive while constructing his 2021 documentary “Babi Yar.

Continue reading ‘The Kiev Trial’ Review: Sergei Loznita’s Compelling Act Of Historical Recovery Feels Unfinished [Venice] at The Playlist.

A documentary with no guardrails, “The Natural History of Destruction” (“NHD”) lurches through its 105-minute runtime with no concern for its audience’s bearings or balance. Commendable in its own way, eschewing as it does the omnipresent talking head and clip art formula so pervasive on the documentary scene, it is also devoid of context and narrative challenges.

READ MORE: Cannes Film Festival 2022 Preview: 25 Must-See Films To Watch

Director Sergei Loznitsa deploys archival period footage to exclusive effect, withholding voiceover, expert interviews, on-screen text, or anything that might identify the where/when of what is presented aside from architecture and wardrobe clues.

Continue reading ‘The Natural History Of Destruction’: Sergei Loznitsa Strips Down the Documentary Form to Questionable Effect [Cannes ] at The Playlist.

Nobody who knows anything about war would claim there are good or bad conflicts. Still, the warfare seen in Sergey Loznitsa’s savage Ukraine-set satire “Donbass” manages to seem even more harrowing than the fictional fighting we are used to seeing on screen. That is not because the film is gruesome in its visuals. Instead, Loznitsa shows us something potentially more frightening than a bloody drag-out battle between two armies: A war where one side is barely recognizable from the other, the stakes are hard to discern, and because it is not quite clear what the fighting is for, it is difficult to imagine it ending.

Continue reading ‘Donbass’ Review: Sergei Loznitsa’s Bleak and Brutal Ukraine-Set War Comedy is Eerily Timed at The Playlist.

Joseph Stalin is a towering figure in world history. For many, when you think of communism and the Soviet Union, Stalin is the name that comes up. And while he’s also known for horrible atrocities that caused the deaths of many, many people in his own country, upon his death he was still revered, as seen in the new documentary, “State Funeral.”

READ MORE: ‘Oslo’ Trailer: Ruth Wilson & Andrew Scott Star In An HBO Political Thriller About The ’93 Oslo Peace Accords

In honor of “State Funeral” arriving in select theaters soon, we’re excited to give our readers an exclusive look at the trailer for the documentary.

Continue reading ‘State Funeral’ Exclusive Trailer: Sergei Loznitsa’s Doc Shows The Spectacle Of Joseph Stalin’s Burial at The Playlist.

When you bring up this year’s New York Film Festival, obviously the headline is the fact that Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” is opening the event. But when you move past that incredible news, you see that the 57th annual NYFF is set up to be one of the premier film fests of 2019, and that includes today’s announcement of the Spotlight on Documentary lineup.

Continue reading NYFF Spotlight On Documentary: New Films By Tim Robbins, Michael Apted, Nick Broomfield & More at The Playlist.

We’re gonna need to load up on more brain food, because with Sundance kicking off today, we can barely keep track of what’s unspooling in Park City. Now, to add on top of that, the folks at the Berlin International Film Festival have unveiled a staggering 44 new films as part of their Forum lineup, 35 of which are World Premieres.

The section mixes features with avant garde, experimental works, essays, long-term observations, and political reportage, making it one of the more eclectic categories in Berlin.

Continue reading Berlin 2018 Adds New Films By Hong Sang-Soo, Sergei Loznitsa, Corneliu Poromboiu, Josephine Decker & More at The Playlist.

Like an endless, 200-degree Fahrenheit fever dream, Sergei Loznitsa’s “A Gentle Creature” disorients your frame of mind with the force of a thousand demons shredding it apart. In systematic and cinematically dazzling fashion, Loznitsa’s nihilistic riff will drag you to a circle of hell that makes Dante’s “Inferno” look like a love sonnet, and you’ll walk out of the film feeling woozy, defeated and utterly destroyed, in that order.

Continue reading Sergei Loznitsa’s ‘A Gentle Creature’ Is An Astonishing, Incendiary & Brutal Indictment Of Modern Russia [Cannes Review] at The Playlist.

Bouncing between feature films (“My Joy“) and documentaries (“Maidan,” “The Event“), director Sergei Loznitsa has carved out a niche of patient pictures, that sometimes take more than few moments to reveal themselves. And his work has attracted a loyal following on the international arthouse circuit where he’ll return again this fall with his latest documentary, “Austerlitz.”

READ MORE: Venice & TIFF Trailer: Sergei Loznitsa’s Found Footage Documentary ‘The Event’

Set to debut at the Venice Film Festival, before heading to the Toronto International Film Festival for its stateside bow, the film sees Loznitsa tackling the strange dichotomy of former concentration camps becoming tourist attractions. 

Continue reading New Trailer For Sergei Loznitsa’s ‘Austerlitz,’ Headed To Venice & TIFF at The Playlist.

Venice & TIFF Trailer: Sergei Loznitsa's Found Footage Documentary 'The Event'

Continue reading Venice & TIFF Trailer: Sergei Loznitsa’s Found Footage Documentary ‘The Event’ at The Playlist.

Review: Sergei Loznitsa's Humanitarian And Rewarding 'Maidan'

Continue reading Review: Sergei Loznitsa’s Humanitarian And Rewarding ‘Maidan’ at The Playlist.

Cannes Review: Sergei Loznitsa’s Ukranian Crisis Documentary ‘Maidan’

Continue reading Cannes Review: Sergei Loznitsa’s Ukranian Crisis Documentary ‘Maidan’ at The Playlist.

Watch: Trailer For Sergei Loznitsa's Cannes Documentary About Ukrainian Protests 'Maidan'

Continue reading Watch: Trailer For Sergei Loznitsa’s Cannes Documentary About Ukrainian Protests ‘Maidan’ at The Playlist.