| Director: | Sergei Loznitsa |
|---|---|
| Production: | Atoms & Void
(Maria Choustova, Sergei Loznitsa) Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center (Ilya Khrzhanovskiy, Max Yakover) |
| Running Time: | 106’ |
| Language: | Russian, German, Ukrainian |
| Country: | Netherlands, Ukraine |
| Screenplay: | Sergei Loznitsa |
| Editor: | Sergei Loznitsa, Tomasz Wolski, Danielius Kokanauskis |
| Sound: | Vladimir Golovnitski |
| Visual Effects: | Jonas Zagorskas |
| Restoration: | Jonas Zagorskas |
Cinema
The Kiev Trial
Out of Competition
Synopsis
The Kiev Trial, also known as the ‘Kiev Nuremberg’, took place in January of 1946 in the Soviet Union, and was one of the first post-war trials convicting German Nazis and their collaborators. 15 criminals, guilty of atrocities, which were later identified by the Nuremberg trials as “crimes against humanity”, faced justice in case No.1679 “On the atrocities committed by fascist invaders on the territory of the Ukrainian SSR.” Using unique, previously unseen, archive footage, Sergei Loznitsa reconstructs key moments of the proceedings, including statements of the defendants and testimonies of the witnesses, survivors of Auschwitz and Babi Yar among them. The film lays bare the ‘banality of evil’ and is devastatingly relevant today, as Ukrainian people are once again being subjected to the violence of barbarian invaders.
Director’s Statement
I came across the forgotten footage of the Kiev Trial when I was working on archive research for Babi Yar. Context. Having gained access to this unique footage, just as powerful as the famous Eichmann tapes, I decided to make a film reconstructing the entire trial. As always, my aim is to immerse the spectators into the atmosphere of the courtroom: to make them feel as if they are witnessing the whole trial from a seat in a public gallery. When I started this project in spring 2021, I couldn’t imagine, even in my worst nightmare, that Ukraine will once again become a battlefield and that innocent civilians will once again be subjected to brutal violence. Only this time the barbarian invaders wear Russian uniforms. We have been thrown 80 years back and it seems that no lessons from our recent history have been learnt... I wish with all my heart that we shall not have to wait for too long before the perpetrators of the crimes against humanity, being committed in Ukraine today, are brought to justice.
PRODUCERS/DISTRIBUTORS
PRODUCTION 1: Maria Choustova, Sergei Loznitsa – ATOMS & VOID
Brugsestraat 20
2587XS – The Hague, Netherlands
Tel. +31 611006099
contact@atomsvoid.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/atomsvoid
PRODUCTION 2: Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center
Velyka Vasylkivska st, 100, 7
03150 – Kyiv, Ukraine
Tel. +380 503085051
info@babynyar.org
http://babynyar.org
WORLD SALES: Maya Kasterine – ATOMS & VOID
Brugsestraat 20
2587XS – The Hague, Netherlands
Tel. +31 611006099
contact@atomsvoid.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/atomsvoid
PRESS OFFICE: Michael Arnon – Wolf
Berlin, Germany
Tel. +49 1785470179
michael@wolf-con.com
http://www.wolf-con.com/
