Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa has been at the forefront of international arthouse cinema for over a decade, probing Soviet and post-Soviet life by shifting between hard-hitting, unshakable fictions and ingeniously constructed documentaries. Intensively productive, with 15 films in the last ten years alone, Loznitsa has amassed an uncompromising and singular oeuvre of standalone works that become even more illuminating when in conversation with each other.

With the release of his towering masterpiece State Funeral, this series highlights a selection of Loznita’s archival documentaries. Using restored footage from the Soviet era, ranging from propaganda newsreels to Stalin’s show trials, the filmmaker reconstructs and brings new life to fascinating historical material while uncovering its present-day relevance.

Michael Bertl

Cinematographer