Following Jean-Luc Godard, Kirsten Johnson, Godfrey Reggio and Jóhann Jóhannsson, the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival has now enlisted Sergei Loznitsa to direct its trailer. The upcoming 29th edition of the gathering, which is taking place from 24 October-11 November, has released its promotional video, helmed by the acclaimed Ukrainian-born director, whose latest film Two Prosecutors [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Sergueï Loznitsa
fiche film] is doing the rounds on the festival circuit after its world premiere in competition at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Watch the festival trailer below.

According to Loznitsa, "This footage is taken from the material that was shot in Dnipro in the spring of 2023 as part of the filming of The Invasion [+lire aussi :
critique
interview : Sergei Loznitsa
fiche film]. My idea was to document the life of ordinary Ukrainians all over the country – from Kharkiv to Lviv, and from Kyiv to Odessa – and to observe how the war impacts every single aspect of civilian life, and how it transforms individuals and society as a whole. As we know, during wartime, Metro stations are used in major Ukrainian cities – Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro – as bomb shelters. So, on the one hand, we see a very ordinary, mundane scene: people entering a Metro station during the morning rush hour, hurrying to get to their destinations, and on the other hand, we have the knowledge that at any moment, this routine morning rush hour could be interrupted by an air raid. This war has been raging in the heart of Europe for three-and-a-half years now. This concerns all of us." He adds, "The war is raging on, and every day brings more misery and destruction to Ukraine and its people. Russia has to be stopped. This requires political will, integrity and determination from the USA and Europe. So far, we hear a lot of empty words and proclamations, but we don't see much action. The future of the entirety of Europe is at stake."

About Ji.hlava, the director says, "I'm very fond of the Ji.hlava festival, and I think it is an important platform for East European documentary cinema. Over the years, I have had the pleasure of showing quite a few of my films at the festival, and participating in Q&As and discussions. In 2023, I was invited to conduct a master class there on the subject of working with archival footage. I'm very grateful to the Ji.hlava IDFF and to its artistic director, Marek Hovorka, for their continuous support of my work. It means a lot to me."

Hovorka says, "I think I can call Loznitsa a friend of the festival. We have had a professional friendship for two decades. Each of his films, whether fiction or documentary, attracts attention on literally every continent. Sergei is a distinctive filmmaker who is able to combine the language of documentary and fiction film, and capitalise on his Eastern European roots and experience as a Western European creator and producer. This year's trailer is a clever and multi-layered short film with Loznitsa's typical sense of humour and absurdity. But it is also a call for a real solution to the situation of the war in Ukraine. It shows scenes that would be commonplace in many cities, but, in the case of Ukraine, they are still not an everyday reality."