The Kiev Trial
2022 documentary film
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The Kiev Trial (Ukrainian: Київський процес, romanized: Kyyivsʹkyy protses, Russian: Киевский процесс, romanized: Kiyevskiy protsess) is a 2022 documentary film written and directed by Sergei Loznitsa. A co-production between Ukraine and Netherlands, it had its world premiere at the 79th edition of the Venice Film Festival.
Sergey Loznitsa
Tomasz Wolski
Danielius Kokanauskis
| The Kiev Trial | |
|---|---|
| |
| Directed by | Sergei Loznitsa |
| Written by | Sergei Loznitsa |
| Produced by | Maria Baker-Choustova Sergey Loznitsa |
| Edited by | Sergei Loznitsa Tomasz Wolski Danielius Kokanauskis |
Release date |
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Running time | 106 minutes |
| Countries | Ukraine Netherlands |
| Languages | Russian German Ukrainian |
Overview
Production
Loznitsa spent several years developing the film project.[1] The film was produced by Atoms & Void and the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center.[1][2]
Release
The film premiered out of competition at the 79th Venice International Film Festival.[2]
Reception
Lee Marshall from Screen International described Loznitsa's film as "an absorbing, timely work, which touches on a question that is fresh in the minds of many of his countrymen today: how best to bear witness to crimes of war, and how to separate revenge from retribution".[3] Similarly, Susanne Gottlieb from Cineuropa noted how Loznitsa "shows how easily justice can be turned into spectacular revenge – a debate that modern-day Ukraine will have to face sooner or later as well, given the geopolitical circumstances".[2]
Jonathan Romney from Sight and Sound compared the film to Loznitsa's 2018 similarly themed documentary The Trial: both films about "how justice works in the context of the Stalin-era legal system", "that earlier film was about the state imposition of lies; this one is about the attempt, within the same official apparatus, of revealing and establishing truth".[4]
The Playlist's film critic Christian Gallichio wrote: "While Loznita has crafted a compelling document of historical significance, the act of watching the film is a bit scattered. The choice to use only archival footage is commendable and creates an immediacy to the experience, but the lack of any historical context [...] creates a hermetic viewing experiencing, siloing the proceedings away from any sense of a timeline of how and when these events took place".[5]
