Latest news with #SergeiLoznitsa
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sergei Loznitsa's ‘Two Prosecutors' Scores Fresh Deals For Coproduction Office
EXCLUSIVE: Sergei Loznitsa's drama Two Prosecutors, set against the backdrop of Stalin's Great Terror, has chalked up a fresh round of deals following its well-received world premiere in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Paris-based Coproduction Office has sealed new sales to Spain (Wanda Vision, Filmin), the Nordics and Iceland (Edge Entertainment), Poland (Aurora Films), Greece (Filmtrade) Turkey (Bir Film), Australia and New Zealand (Sharmill Films), Japan (Longride Inc.), Taiwan (Andrews Film), Hong Kong (Edko), India (Impact), Indonesia (Falcon Pictures), Brazil (Retrato Filmes), and Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay (Zeta Films). More from Deadline Janus Films Acquires Bi Gan's Cannes Prize-winner 'Resurrection' For North America Netflix Buys Richard Linklater's 'Breathless' Homage & Love Letter To Cinema 'Nouvelle Vague' In Record Domestic Deal For A French-Language Movie Breaking Baz @ Cannes: "Even If I'm Fired, I Stay," Declares Defiant Thierry Frémaux; Festival Victors Dance The Night Away After Strongest Selection In Years Previously announced deals include to Italy (Lucky Red), Portugal (Alambique), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Aerofilms), Hungary (Vertigo), Eastern Europe (HBO Europe), Estonia (Filmstop), ex-Yugoslavia, Israel (Lev) and Middle East (Falcon Films). The film was pre-acquired by Pyramide Distribution for France, which has set a September release, and Progress Film for Germany. Adapted from the eponymous novel by physicist and Gulag survivor Georgy Demidov, the film is set in the Soviet Union's era of Great Terror, or Great Purge, in the late 1930s, in which Joseph Stalin consolidated his power by either killing or incarcerating political opponents in harsh labor camps. The film focuses on a young prosecutor who sets out to challenge a system during this period after discovering a letter from a prisoner who is a desperate plea for help. Deadline critic Damon Wise noted the contemporary resonance of the story, calling the film 'a bleak warning from history' in his review, adding it held 'relevance to every country wrestling with authoritarian political parties right now.' The film is produced by Kevin Chneiweiss for France's SBS Productions, alongside Loznitsa's Netherlands-based banner Atoms & Void. Additional producers include Germany's Looks Film, Latvia's White Picture, Romania's Avanpost Media, and Lithuania's Studio Uljana Kim. SBS International is handling rights for the U.S. and U.K. Loznitsa, who is best known for his politically charged documentaries and strong fictional narratives, most recently presented his documentary The Invasion in the Special Screening Section at Cannes 2024. His past feature credits include My Joy (Cannes Competition 2010), In the Fog (Cannes Competition 2022), A Gentle Creature (Cannes Competition 2017) and Donbass (Best Director, Cannes Un Certain Regard 2018). Best of Deadline 'Hacks' Season 4 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? Everything We Know About 'Hacks' Season 4 So Far 'The Last Of Us': Differences Between HBO Series & Video Game Across Seasons 1 And 2
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Two Prosecutors' Review: Sergei Loznitsa Explores the Stifling Climate of Stalin-Era Russia in a Legal Drama That Burns Slowly but Brightly
You don't need to wield a hammer and sickle to feel the weight of Soviet tyranny hanging over Two Prosecutors, a solemn Stalin-era drama from Sergei Loznitsa that doubles as a metaphor for the kind of oppression tormenting Russia right now. Impeccably directed and impressively acted, this slow-burn story of political injustice is filled to the brim with atmosphere — specifically the stifling, claustrophobic atmosphere of the U.S.S.R. at the height of Stalin's Great Purge. For those familiar with that period, nothing in the movie, which was adapted from a 1969 book by physicist and gulag survivor Georgy Demidov, may seem surprising. But this Cannes competition entry is more about the journey than the destination, revealing what it was like to live at a time when personal freedom was all but extinguished by rampant authoritarianism. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning' Review: Tom Cruise Delivers but the Convoluted Eighth Entry Takes Its Sweet Time Getting There Nude and "Voluminous" Cannes Red Carpet Looks From Past Years That Would Violate New Dress Code David Lynch's Son Intros 'Welcome to Lynchland' Doc in Cannes: "This Festival Meant a Lot to My Dad" The first shot of the film is of a prison door opening and closing, and it's a clear prelude to the rest of what happens in Loznitsa's meticulously crafted narrative. Lensed by Oleg Mutu (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) in the box-like 1:1.33 format, the movie was photographed in color but may as well have been made in black-and-white, so much does it depict a world without warmth or hope. Loznitsa is certainly no stranger to such backdrops, exploring the bleaker sides of both Russia and his native Ukraine in a body of work that has seamlessly shifted between fiction (My Joy, In the Fog, Donbass) and documentary (Maidan, The Event, Babi Yar. Context). Two Prosecutors is perhaps his most austere film to date — controlled as tightly as the NKVD (Stalin's secret police of the 1930s and 40s) controlled the Soviet people. It's not always an easy sit, creeping along as it moves from one suffocating situation to another. But it gradually builds into a powerful statement on Russian tyranny both then and now. A slow-burn opening shows prisoners being assembled in a courtyard. The year is 1937 and the men all look like they've been through hell. (Indeed, in the next scene one of them falls off a scaffolding and drops dead, his body quickly hauled away.) The oldest among them (Ivgeny Terletsky) is sent alone to a cell, where he's tasked with burning the letters of fellow inmates. In what will be the first of many acts of courage against the powers-that-be, he decides to save one letter in which a prisoner claims he's been unfairly jailed and asks for legal counsel. The sequence is telling, underscoring the sheer impossibility of justice within a system that has been designed to quash resistance at all levels, from the very bottom to the top. This is the trajectory the film itself takes, gradually following the effects of that one authority-defying act from the bowels of a provincial prison all the way to one of the highest offices in Moscow. Our guide through the crushing bureaucracy is a bold young prosecutor named Kornev (Alexander Kuznetsov), who receives the smuggled letter and shows up at the prison to deal with the situation. He faces hostility every step of the way, from an array of brutish guards to a dismissive warden (Vytautas Kaniusonis) who keeps trying to get rid of him, and finally to the U.S.S.R's general prosecutor (Anatoli Beliy), who receives him in his office after the longest wait of all time. What's fascinating about Two Prosecutors is that nobody directly turns down Kornev, nor do they ever let him know what they're really thinking. This is a world where everyone is so afraid that the slightest word or act could land them in jail, or possibly Siberia, that they're constantly holding their tongues as they try to strategize their way through the system. New to the game of 4D Soviet chess under Stalin's reign of terror, Kornev is the only person to truly speak his mind, and it's no surprise what winds up happening to him as a result. The irony is that Kornev thinks he's saving the very Marxist revolution that the U.S.S.R. is meant to embody. The inmate who wrote the letter, Stepniak (Aleksandr Filippenko), is an old Bolshevik worker who was part of the 1917 uprising and has spent years in prison being tortured without reason. By trying to take a revolutionary hero's case to the highest echelons of power, Kornev foolishly believes he's fighting corruption in the regime he's meant to serve. The compelling Kuznetsov portrays the prosecutor as a wise and stubborn lawyer who's also the last person to be in on the joke that was Communism under Stalin. This is most apparent in a late sequence — and probably the highlight of the movie — in which Kornev takes the train back from Moscow to his hometown of Briansk, riding along with two businessmen (Valentin Novopolskij, Dmitrij Denisiuk) who he suspects could be NKVD agents. After some hesitation, he decides to drink and be merry with them, enjoying an impromptu music performance as the train chugs along through the night, unaware of the fate already in store for him. Loznitsa is much less of a dupe than the naïve young Korvev, and the director ultimately leaves the viewer back at the same prison door where his film began. The journey in Two Prosecutors is therefore a circular one — a long and winding round-trip between a rock and a hard place. This is what life was like in the U.S.S.R. at that time, and it's no secret that life in Russia under Vladimir Putin is hardly different nowadays. Loznitsa is reflecting on the past here, but for anyone who cares to look, he's holding a mirror up to the present. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now "A Nutless Monkey Could Do Your Job": From Abusive to Angst-Ridden, 16 Memorable Studio Exec Portrayals in Film and TV The 10 Best Baseball Movies of All Time, Ranked
Malay Mail
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Cannes Film Festival hit by city-wide power outage, closing ceremony to proceed as planned
CANNES, May 24 — The Cannes film festival drew to a close today, promising to overcome a major power cut in order to hand out its prizes at a VIP-studded ceremony later. A wry Iranian film about political prisoners and a Ukrainian-directed drama about despotism are among the frontrunners after almost a fortnight of red carpets and politically charged statements. French actor Juliette Binoche and her jury will announce the winner from the 22 films competing for the Palme d'Or for best film. The best-reviewed contenders include Iranian director Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident and Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa's study of tyranny in Two Prosecutors, according to analysis from Screen magazine. But cinema bible Variety predicted a triumph for Norwegian director Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value, a moving tale about a quietly fractured family starring Elle Fanning. It got an extraordinary 19-minute standing ovation after its premiere on Thursday. Rumours buzzed around the Riviera resort this morning about the likely winners, but the traffic did not. Traffic lights were knocked out by the power cut, causing major snarls, while the electricity supply was briefly cut at the film festival headquarters. Organisers said they had switched to an alternative supply, 'which enables us to maintain the events and screenings planned for today in normal conditions, including the closing ceremony'. The cause of the outage has not been announced, but police sources told AFP it was caused by a fire, probably an arson attack, on a nearby electricity substation. A staff member of the Festival Beach informs customers following a major electricity outage, during the 78th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes May 24, 2025. — Reuters pic Politics Amid the red carpets and parties, this year's Cannes Festival has been politically charged, with the wars in Ukraine and Gaza as well as US President Donald Trump major talking-points. The Gaza war has been on the minds of some of the festival's guests, with more than 900 actors and filmmakers signing an open letter denouncing 'genocide' in the Palestinian territory, according to organisers. Binoche, Schindler's List star Ralph Fiennes, US indie director Jim Jarmusch and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange — in town to present a documentary he stars in — are among the signatories. Speaking at a press conference yesterday, UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, however, said that the festival felt like a 'bubble of indifference'. Trump's presidency was denounced by US filmmaker Todd Haynes as 'barbaric', while Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal admitted it was 'scary' to speak out against the Republican leader. Norwegian director and screenwriter Joachim Trier, and Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve pose during a photocall for the film 'Affeksjonsverdi' (Sentimental Value) at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes May 22, 2025. — AFP pic Awards Other awards have already started to be announced. The first Chechen film to screen at the Cannes Festival — Imago — won best documentary, while the film about the life of Assange — The Six Billion Dollar Man — picked up a special jury prize yesterday. In the secondary Un Certain Regard section, Chilean filmmaker Diego Cespedes won the top prize for The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, which follows a group of trans women living in a desert mining town in the 1980s. French actor-turned-director Hafsia Herzi won the unofficial Queer Palm for The Last One, a coming-of-age tale about a teenage lesbian Muslim living in Paris. 'I wanted to show that there were no borders in friendship, in love,' Herzi said. Earlier in the week, Useful Ghost, an off-the-wall Thai LGBTQ ghost story packing a daring political punch, was awarded top prize in the Critics' Week sidebar section. On a lighter note, a sheepdog that features in Icelandic family drama The Love That Remains won the Palm Dog prize for canine performers in festival films, organisers announced. Icelandic director Hlynur Palmason cast his own pet, Panda, in his poignant story about a couple navigating a separation and the impact on their family. — AFP
Malay Mail
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Cannes Festival closes with Iranian and Ukrainian films leading Palme d'Or race
CANNES, May 24 — The Cannes Festival draws to a close today, with a wry Iranian film about political prisoners and a Ukrainian-directed drama about despotism among the frontrunners to pick up the Palme d'Or top prize. After almost a fortnight of glamorous red carpets and some politics, French actor Juliette Binoche and her jury will announce the winner from the 22 films vying for one of the world's most prestigious cinema awards. The best-reviewed contenders include Iranian director Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident and Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa's study of tyranny in Two Prosecutors, a grid from Screen magazine showed. But cinema bible Variety predicted the Palme d'Or would go to Norwegian director Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value, a moving tale about a quietly fractured family starring Elle Fanning. It got an extraordinary 19-minute standing ovation after its premiere. On the last day of screenings, Britain's The Guardian newspaper gave a rare five-star review to Young Mothers, a sensitive portrait of teen mothers by Belgium's two-time Palme d'Or winners Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. And many festival goers fell for the feel-good drama of Richard Linklater's Nouvelle Vague, about French director Jean-Luc Godard, which Variety predicted would pick up the Best Director prize. Beyond the competition, the French Riviera has been buzzing with A-listers but also politics. US filmmaker Todd Haynes warned of the 'barbaric US presidency', while Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal admitted it was 'scary' to speak out against President Donald Trump. The Gaza war has been on the minds of some of the festival's guests, with more than 900 actors and filmmakers signing an open letter denouncing 'genocide' in the Palestinian territory, according to organisers. Binoche, Schindler's List star Ralph Fiennes, US indie director Jim Jarmusch and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange — in town to present a documentary he stars in — are among the signatories. Speaking at a press conference yesterday, UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, however said that the festival felt like a 'bubble of indifference'. (From left) French actor Aubry Dullin, US director Richard Linklater, US actress Zoey Deutch and French actor Guillaume Marbeck pose during a photocall for the film 'Nouvelle Vague' (New Wave) at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes May 18, 2025. — AFP pic Awards Other awards have already started to be announced. The first Chechen film to screen at the Cannes Festival — Imago — won best documentary, while the film about the life of Assange — The Six Billion Dollar Man — picked up a special jury prize on Friday. In the secondary Un Certain Regard section, Chilean filmmaker Diego Cespedes won the top prize for The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, which follows a group of trans women living in a desert mining town in the 1980s. French actor-turned-director Hafsia Herzi won the unofficial Queer Palm for The Last One, a coming-of-age tale about a teenage lesbian Muslim living in Paris. 'I wanted to show that there were no borders in friendship, in love,' Herzi said. Earlier in the week, Useful Ghost, an off-the-wall Thai LGBTQ ghost story packing a daring political punch, was awarded top prize in the Critics' Week sidebar section. On a lighter note, a sheepdog that features in Icelandic family drama The Love That Remains won the Palm Dog prize for canine performers in festival films, organisers announced. Icelandic director Hlynur Palmason cast his own pet, Panda, in his poignant story about a couple navigating a separation and the impact on their family. — AFP
News.com.au
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Cannes closes with Iranian, Ukrainian films tipped for glory
The Cannes Festival draws to a close on Saturday, with a wry Iranian film about political prisoners and a Ukrainian-directed drama about despotism among the frontrunners to pick up the Palme d'Or top prize. After almost a fortnight of glamorous red carpets and some politics, French actor Juliette Binoche and her jury will announce the winner from the 22 films vying for one of the world's most prestigious cinema awards. The best-reviewed contenders include Iranian director Jafar Panahi's "It Was Just an Accident" and Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa's study of tyranny in "Two Prosecutors", a grid from Screen magazine showed. But cinema bible Variety predicted the Palme d'Or would go to Norwegian director Joachim Trier's "Sentimental Value", a moving tale about a quietly fractured family starring Elle Fanning. It got an extraordinary 19-minute standing ovation after its premiere. On the last day of screenings, Britain's The Guardian newspaper gave a rare five-star review to "Young Mothers", a sensitive portrait of teen mothers by Belgium's two-time Palme d'Or winners Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. And many festival goers fell for the feel-good drama of Richard Linklater's "Nouvelle Vague", about French director Jean-Luc Godard, which Variety predicted would pick up the Best Director prize. Beyond the competition, the French Riviera has been buzzing with A-listers but also politics. US filmmaker Todd Haynes warned of the "barbaric US presidency", while Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal admitted it was "scary" to speak out against President Donald Trump. The Gaza war has been on the minds of some of the festival's guests, with more than 900 actors and filmmakers signing an open letter denouncing "genocide" in the Palestinian territory, according to organisers. Binoche, "Schindler's List" star Ralph Fiennes, US indie director Jim Jarmusch and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange -- in town to present a documentary he stars in -- are among the signatories. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, however said that the festival felt like a "bubble of indifference". - Awards - Other awards have already started to be announced. The first Chechen film to screen at the Cannes Festival -- "Imago" -- won best documentary, while the film about the life of Assange -- "The Six Billion Dollar Man" -- picked up a special jury prize on Friday. In the secondary Un Certain Regard section, Chilean filmmaker Diego Cespedes won the top prize for "The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo", which follows a group of trans women living in a desert mining town in the 1980s. French actor-turned-director Hafsia Herzi won the unofficial Queer Palm for "The Last One", a coming-of-age tale about a teenage lesbian Muslim living in Paris. "I wanted to show that there were no borders in friendship, in love," Herzi said. Earlier in the week, "Useful Ghost", an off-the-wall Thai LGBTQ ghost story packing a daring political punch, was awarded top prize in the Critics' Week sidebar section. On a lighter note, a sheepdog that features in Icelandic family drama "The Love That Remains" won the Palm Dog prize for canine performers in festival films, organisers announced. Icelandic director Hlynur Palmason cast his own pet, Panda, in his poignant story about a couple navigating a separation and the impact on their family. ah/adp/jhb
