Imperium

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Imperium

Imperium

original title:

Imperium

directed by:

screenplay:

editing:

Sergey Loznitsa, Audinga Kucinskaite

music:

Vladimir Tarasov

production:

country:

Germany/Italy/France/Lithuania

year:

2026

film run:

176'

format:

colour

status:

Ready (23/07/2026)

festivals & awards:

IMPERIUM is a striking visual journey through the vast expanse of the Soviet Union, built entirely from long-forgotten archival footage shot between 1970 and 1973 by Italian filmmakers. From Arctic shores to Central Asian deserts, from the Carpathians to the Pacific, the film reveals a rich tapestry of cultures the Soviet state sought to standardize. Beginning in Moscow and gradually approaching remote villages where centuries-old traditions still thrived, exposing the decreasing weight of centralized power. Without voice-over or commentary, the images themselves reveal a profound paradox: an empire projecting unity while ruling over profoundly heterogeneous worlds. Through these rare, unfiltered glimpses of daily life, IMPERIUM uncovers the often-hidden colonial dynamics of the USSR and the quiet resilience of its many peoples. More than a historical document, the film becomes a lens through which to understand the fractures and geopolitical tensions that continue to resonate across the former Soviet space today.