Sergei Loznitsa’s The Trial documents exactly what happens when dictatorial governmental powers are allowed to flourish and continue without question.

Documenting the events of the infamous Moscow trials, this documentary follows the falsified trials of former Bolsheviks – ones who had managed to get on Stalin’s bad side – from the open statements to the sentencing and beyond. While it is certainly easy to see these trials as unprecedented, it is quite simple to see parallels between those trials and ones going on in the United States at the time—the HUAC trials certainly have more than a passing resemblance—as well as similar trials going on in the world today.

Some audiences may find their attention fading as this documentary is comprised almost entirely of the actual court footage, with very little in the way of commentary or artistic flair, but it may be necessary to view such historical events with an unblinking eye.

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The Trial screens at TIFF on: 

Saturday, September 8 at 9:00 a.m. @ Scotiabank Theatre (press and industry)
Monday, September 10 at 9:45 p.m. @ Jackman Hall (AGO)
Wednesday, September 12 at 10:00 a.m. @ TIFF Bell Lightbox
Thursday, September 13 at 9:00 p.m. @ TIFF Bell Lightbox (press and industry)

Rating: PG
Language: Russian
Subtitled
Runtime: 127 minutes

For more information on the festival, visit the official TIFF webpage here.

Buy tickets here.

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