State Funeral (2019)

Coming Out at November 22, 2019 in theaters.

Documentary, History

State Funeral is documentary history film directed and written by Sergey Loznitsa. It primiered at September 6, 2019 on Venice Film Festival.

As proven in his recent documentaries Maidan, The Event, and The Trial, versatile Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa has become one of the contemporary masters of the found-footage documentary, using the form to study the nature of the Soviet regime and uncover its darkest legacies for contemporary and future generations. In State Funeral, he has uncovered a wealth of astonishing, mostly unseen archival footage of the “Great Farewell” in the days following the death of Joseph Stalin in March 1953: the teeming mass of mourners clogging Moscow’s Red Square, the speech announcing the hasty appointment of Malenkov, and finally Stalin’s burial in Lenin’s Tomb. While speeches about the Soviet Union’s unyielding fortitude and unity in the face of tragedy blare endlessly on speakers, and the pomp and ostentation grows increasingly surreal, the brilliantly edited and sound-designed State Funeral becomes an ever-relevant meditation on not just the horrors but also the absurdity of totalitarianism and the cult of personality.

A centerpiece of New York culture since 1963, the New York Film Festival will introduce the most essential new cinematic works from around the world to U.S. audiences in its Main Slate. NYFF will also continue to feature a variety of titles in different sections and sidebars, including Spotlight on Documentary, newly rejuvenated classics in Restorations and Revivals, a diverse selection of international and locally made Shorts, the ever-expanding experimental showcase Projections, and the immersive storytelling experiences of the cutting-edge Convergence. Additionally, there will be an exciting lineup of special events, free filmmaker talks and panel discussions, and the latest editions of our annual Industry and Critic Academies.

Director: Sergey Loznitsa

Writer: Sergey Loznitsa

Stars: Joseph Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev, Lavrenti Beria, Enlai Zhou, Dolores Ibárruri, Georgi Malenkov, Vyacheslav Molotov

►Cast