Donbass
Film poster
Directed bySergei Loznitsa
Written bySergei Loznitsa
Produced byHeino Deckert
CinematographyOleg Mutu
Edited byDanielius Kokanauskis
Release dates
  • 9 May 2018 (2018-05-09) (Cannes)
  • 20 September 2018 (2018-09-20) (Ukraine)
Running time
122 minutes
CountriesGermany
Ukraine
France
Netherlands
Romania
LanguagesRussian
Ukrainian
Budget€ 2.5 million[1]
Box office$78,133[2][3]

Donbass is a 2018 internationally co-produced black comedy war film directed by Sergei Loznitsa.[4][5] It was selected as the opening film in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.[6][7] At Cannes, Loznitsa won the Un Certain Regard award for Best Director, as well as the Silver Pyramid at the 40th Cairo International Film Festival. It was selected as the Ukrainian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.[8] It was filmed in Kryvyi Rih, 300 km west of separatist-occupied Donetsk.[9] At the 49th International Film Festival of India it received the Main Prize - Golden Peacock for Best Feature Film.[10][11][12]

Plot

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The film's thirteen segments explore the mid-2010s conflict between Ukraine and the Russian-supported Donetsk People's Republic in the Donbas region of Ukraine.[13]

Reception

Critical response

Donbass has an approval rating of 88% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 58 reviews, and an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's critical consensus states, “Brutally powerful and brilliantly filmed, Donbass illustrates man's inhumanity with visceral effectiveness.”[14] It also has a score of 78 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 17 critics, indicating “generally favorable reviews”.[15]

Awards

Loznitsa won the Un Certain Regard award for Best Director at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.[16] He also won the Silver Pyramid, also known as the Special Jury Prize for Best Director, at the 40th Cairo International Film Festival, tied with Thai director Phuttiphong Aroonpheng for Manta Ray.[17] It won Golden Peacock (Best Film) at the 49th International Film Festival of India.

See also

References

  1. ^ Blaga, Iulia. "PRODUCTION: Romanian Minority Coproduction Donbass by Sergei Loznitsa in Postproduction - FilmNewEurope.com". www.filmneweurope.com. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  2. ^ "Donbass". The Numbers. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  3. ^ "Donbass". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  4. ^ "Donbass review – Sergei Loznitsa is cinema's ultimate bad time merchant". Little White Lies.
  5. ^ "Review: War in Ukraine reflects deceit, division and corruption in black comedy 'Donbass'". Los Angeles Times. 20 November 2020.
  6. ^ "The 2018 Official Selection". Cannes. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  7. ^ "Cannes Lineup Includes New Films From Spike Lee, Jean-Luc Godard". Variety. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  8. ^ Kozlov, Vladimir (29 August 2018). "Oscars: Ukraine Selects 'Donbass' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  9. ^ "Donbass, le regard de Sergei Loznitsa - Festival de Cannes". www.festival-cannes.com (in French). 9 May 2018. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  10. ^ "IFFI 2018 to showcase 212 films". The Indian Express. 6 November 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  11. ^ History. "Film Sections". Iffi Goa. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  12. ^ "49th IFFI to showcase 212 films, Israel in focus – The Shillong Times". Theshillongtimes.com. 6 November 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  13. ^ Weissberg, Jay (9 May 2018). "Film Review: 'Donbass'". Variety. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  14. ^ "Donbass (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  15. ^ "Donbass" – via www.metacritic.com.
  16. ^ Lodge, Guy (18 May 2018). "Cannes: 'Border' Leads Un Certain Regard Award Winners". Variety. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  17. ^ Boas, Matthew (3 December 2018). "Álvaro Brechner wins the Golden Pyramid at Cairo with A Twelve-Year Night". Cineuropa. Retrieved 4 December 2018.

External links

IFFI Best Feature Film Golden Peacock
Ukrainian submissions for Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
Categories