Janus Films has acquired all North American rights to distribute writer/director Sergei Loznitsa’s “Two Proescutors.” The film premiered in competition at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, where it won the annual François Chalais Prize.
“Two Prosecutors” adapts the novella of the same name by Soviet writer and political prisoner Georgy Demidov. Set during The Great Purge, the film follows a young prosecutor who seeks justice for a man falsely imprisoned by the Soviet Union’s secret police. Demidov himself served more than a decade in Soviet labor camps after being arrested in 1938 during The Great Purge.
“Two Prosecutors” sees Ukranian director Loznitsa return to narrative filmmaking for the first time since 2018’s “Donbass,” earning him Un Certain Regard’s Prize for Best Director at Cannes. Since that time, Loznitsa has directed a number of documentaries, including “Babi Yar. Context,” which won the Golden Eye award for documentary filmmaking at Cannes in 2021.
“I am proud to entrust my latest film to Janus and excited to work with them for the first time,” Loznitsa said in a statement. “They have all my confidence to give the film the impactful North American launch it deserves.”
“Two Prosecutors” won this year’s François Chalais Prize at Cannes. The award goes to a film each year that upholds the values and tenets of journalism. Recent winners include Oscar nominees “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” and “Four Daughters.”
TheWrap’s review of “Two Prosecutors” calls the film “a quietly horrifying descent into a Kafkaesque nightmare where trying to do the right thing might just be the riskiest choice of all.” The film marks Janus Films’ fourth acquisition out of Cannes 2025 following “Magellan,” “Resurrection” and “The Love that Remains.”
“With TWO PROSECUTORS, Sergei has meticulously crafted a haunting and taut thriller rooted in the horrors of the past, yet chillingly resonant with the political realities of today,” a statement from Janus reads. “We’re proud to release this vital film and to be back in business with Kevin, Saïd, and the entire team at SBS Productions.”
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