WATCH DOCS
2020
Archival content
open current edition
Only the Devil Lives Without Hope

Only the Devil Lives Without Hope

85' 2020
dir.: Magnus Gertten

Dilya's life has become a thriller filled with surprising twists and turns ever since she's been fighting for the release of her brother, who was convicted on trumped-up terrorism charges by Uzbek authorities.

For years, the Uzbek authorities have ruthlessly suppressed all manifestations of real and imaginary resistance under the guise of a “war on terror.” The protagonist in the film by Magnus Gertten has been fighting for years to free her brother, who was convicted on trumped-up charges of carrying out a terrorist attack. Like most political prisoners put away by the Uzbek dictatorship, Iskandar is held in the infamous Jaslyk Prison, in the desert. Over time, his sister becomes one of Uzbekistan’s most recognizable human rights activists. Although she eventually decides to flee to Europe, she tries tirelessly to get the world to take an interest in her brother’s fate. Agents from Uzbekistan’s intelligence service follow her to Sweden, where one of them manages to get very close to her. Meanwhile, years later Iskandar decides to confess to the acts he allegedly committed ...

Konrad Wirkowski

Festivals
CPH:DOX 2020
Hot Docs 2020
Bergen IFF 2020
EIDF 2020
85' 2020 Sweden, Norway
Director
Magnus Gertten
Cinematography
Caroline Troedsson
Editing
Jesper Osmund
Production
AUTO IMAGES