‘DEN'POBEDY (VICTORY DAY) - SERGEI LOZNITSA’

Every year on 9 May – following the example of events that take place in a number of cities in the former USSR – hundreds of people gather in Treptower Park, East Berlin, where the Soviet Memorial in homage to the Red Army’s victory over Nazi Germany on 9 May 1945 can be found. The film Den' Pobedy captures this commemorative gathering as it unfolds on 9 May 2017 and demonstrates to what extent it continues to draw crowds 72 years on from the end of the war. From early morning until late at night, the camera follows women in folk costume and men in uniform and documents patriotic songs, dances and speeches in front of the monument. The film immerses the audience in a sea of red flags, patriotic folk songs like ‘Katyusha’, and copious amounts of vodka.

In the presence of the director.

The Duisburger Filmwoche film festival is devoted to documentary cinema and the perfect opportunity for documentary makers to have animated discussions about the possibilities and restrictions of their work. After the film’s Belgian premiere, director Sergei Loznitsa and Werner Ruzicka, the outgoing director of the film week, will be on hand to discuss it with the audience.