“I hope, and I believe, that one day we will see a trial of Russian leaders. I will make a film of it, which will be called The Kiev trial“ : great name of cinema in the post-Soviet space, the Ukrainian Serguei Loznitsa considers Russia engaged in a war “against Europe”.
Regularly invited to Cannes, with films like Maidanon the Ukrainian revolution, or Donbass, the 57-year-old director presented at the Real Cinema festival (in progress in Paris until March 20) Mr Landsbergis04:30 dive on how Lithuania gained its independence from the USSR, between 1989 and 1991.
Semantic and legal quarrels, then sending Soviet tanks to Vilnius by Gorbachev, desperate but heroic popular resistance… Thirty years apart, the film echoes the war in Ukraine in a striking way.
“Contemporary Russia is an official heiress of the USSR. One could say that it applies exactly the same methods to the Republics that surround it”comments the filmmaker to AFP.
In Lithuania, blood was spilled but the story ended well: “it is important that this positive experience of resistance and liberation can be shared with all, and in particular with other peoples who want, or may want in the near future, to free themselves from this monster“Russian,” he adds.
He, whose films on Ukraine take on a prophetic allure, judges that we “couldn’t have ignored that the war was about to begin, when you know all the underground currents in the region”. For years, European leaders “have done nothing and their guilt is very important in this war today”, he judges. “When you systematically analyze all the political events in Russia in recent decades, the only possible outcome is war.”
But here it is not only “of a war against Ukraine”, warn the director“It’s a war against Europe. It just so happens that Ukraine is the first front line”. “NATO and Europe must end up accepting the idea that they will not be able to avoid waging this war”he continues: Vladimir Putin “has no reason to let go. If he manages to destroy Ukraine, other countries will follow and, for me, the next on the list are those of the Baltic”.
Serguei Loznitsa’s work has not finished with the history of Europe. He is putting the finishing touches to Natural history of destructiona documentary “on the bombardment by the allies of German cities at the end of the Second World War. “Obviously, once again, I did not expect it to resonate so much with the situation today”he points out.
“Maybe my next one will be a film about this war (in Ukraine)? It’s going to be a long one, I’m afraid, because, while Europe is watching from the sidelines, Russia will systematically destroy Ukraine, city after city. (…), while the Ukrainian army will theoretically defend the territory step by step”, he continues. But, as in the post-Soviet Lithuania shown in his film, in Ukraine, “the people united around (its leader Volodymyr Zelensky) in an incredible way”he notes. “That’s what gives me confidence that victory is on Ukraine’s side. Because you can’t defeat a people.”
Loznitsa also calls not to “boycott” russian artists “who are against this war and this regime” because it would be “a betrayal”. “I call on everyone to remain reasonable and humane and not to judge everyone according to their passport, because it is the chance of birth but according to their actions”.