Soviet Union, 1937. Thousands of letters from detainees falsely accused by the regime are burned in a prison cell. Against all odds, one of them reaches its destination, upon the desk of the newly appointed local prosecutor, Alexander Kornyev. Kornyev does his utmost to meet the prisoner, a victim of agents of the secret police, the NKVD. A dedicated Bolshevik of integrity, the young prosecutor suspects foul play. His quest for justice will take him all the way to the office of the Attorney General in Moscow. In the age of the great Stalinist purges, this is the plunge of a man into the corridors of a totalitarian regime that does not bear said name.

Cannes Film Festival 2025 - Main Competition

Sergei Loznitsa (b. 1964) is a Ukranian filmmaker. He began his career as a researcher at the Kiev Institute of Cybernetics after studying applied mathematics, later earning a degree in film directing from the Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in Moscow. Since 1996, he has directed 28 award-winning documentaries and 5 feature films.
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His documentaries – including Maidan (2014), Austerlitz (2016), and The Trial (2018) – often explore historical traumas, collective memory, and the mechanisms of political power. His work has been screened at the world’s most prestigious film festivals and has received numerous awards.
Loznitsa’s first feature, My Joy (2010), premiered in the main competition at Cannes. This was followed by In the Fog (2012, FIPRESCI Prize, Cannes), Donbass (2018, Best Director – Un Certain Regard, Cannes), and Babi Yar. Context (2021, L’Oeil d’Or Special Mention).

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My Joy (2010)
In the Fog (2012)
Maidan (2014)
Austerlitz (2016)
Donbass (2018)
Babi Yar. Context (2021)

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Director: Sergei Loznitsa
Cast: Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Aleksandr Filippenko, Anatoliy Belyy Andris, Keišs Vytautas Kaniušonis, Valentin Novopolskij
Cinematography: Oleg Mutu
Screenwriter: Szergej Loznica
Producer: Kevin Chneiweiss, Szergej Loznica
Editor: Danielius Kokanauskis
Music: Christiaan Verbeek
Hungarian Distributor: Vertigo
Colour: colour
min: 117 mins

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