Sergei Loznitsa’s ‘The Invasion’ Picked Up for France

Atoms & Void, the Netherlands-based production and sales company run by Sergei Loznitsa and Maria Choustova, has closed a French sale on Loznitsa’s most recent feature documentary “The Invasion,” which premiered on Thursday as a Special Screening in Cannes. Potemkine Films has taken all rights for France, while the film’s French co-producer ARTE France maintains its exclusive TV/VOD window.

“The Invasion” arrives 10 years after the release of Sergei Loznitsa’s epic “Maidan,” which chronicled the Ukrainian uprising.

In his latest feature documentary, Loznitsa returns to Ukraine to chronicle his country’s struggle against the Russian invasion. Shot over a two-year period, the film portrays the life of the civilian population all over Ukraine – from Lviv and Odessa to Kyiv and Dnipro – and presents a statement of Ukrainian resilience in the face of a barbaric invasion. In the second part of his Ukrainian diptych, Loznitsa paints a monumental canvas of a nation determined to defend its right to exist.

Loznitsa and Choustova commented: “Sergei Loznitsa’s documentary and fiction films have consistently resonated at the Cannes Film Festival and with French audiences. We are thrilled that Potemkine Films will give ‘The Invasion,’ one of Sergei’s most personal works, the big screen treatment to amplify the film’s urgent message. We anticipate that further distributors will soon join us to bring ‘The Invasion’ to theaters across Europe and worldwide.”

Nils Bouaziz of Potemkine Films added: “We are very happy about the acquisition of ‘The Invasion’ and our continuing collaboration with Sergei Loznitsa. This is a film of historical importance that we are proud to accompany and support.”

Loznitsa’s feature debut “My Joy” (2010) premiered in the main competition at Cannes, and was followed by the feature film “In the Fog” (2012), which was awarded the Fipresci prize at Cannes. In 2017, Loznitsa presented his third feature “A Gentle Creature” in the competition of Cannes. In 2018, Loznitsa received the prize for best directing of the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes for his fourth feature film, “Donbass.”

Loznitsa’s feature-length documentary “Maidan” (2014), the chronicles of the Ukrainian revolution, also had its world premiere as a Special Screening at Cannes. His subsequent feature-length documentaries, “The Event” (2015), “Austerlitz” (2016), “The Trial” (2018) and “State Funeral” (2019) were presented as Special Screenings at the Venice Film Festival. In 2021, Loznitsa received a Special Jury Prize of the L’Oeil D’Or Award in Cannes for his film “Babi Yar. Context.” Loznitsa continues to work on both documentary and fiction projects.