Sergei Loznitsa: “In the film I show that a man can’t do everything”

Sergei Loznitsa presents his In Competition film In the Fog. The films tells the story of a railway worker who during World War II, is accused of treason and hunted down by two resistance members. The Ukrainian director, accompanied by his film crew, answered questions from journalists.

Sergei Loznitsa on the content of his film:
“I’d wanted to make this film for ten years and it was only now that I could. In fact this is not a film about war but about people who find themselves in particular situations. War dictates a certain atmosphere, a certain mood. In the film, I show that a man can’t do everything, but there is no political content whatsoever, hidden behind that. To me, In the Fog could happen in any place, at any time.”

Vladimir Sviriski on his transition to film:
“We had two months of rehearsals, it was terribly difficult. Today there are still things that I don’t know how to do… For example, I had to learn to speak normally and not act. I come from a theatre background, and there you need to speak loudly, making great gestures, you need to involve the audience… With film, it’s totally different.”

Sergei Loznitsa and sound in his films:
“I give great importance to sound in my films. We treat the sound as if it were music, it even replaces it. 90% of the sound is captured live during filming, but we work on it again later.”

QP