Viktor

Australian & New Zealand Premiere

“A sensual portrait … a benchmark example of how artfully wartime reality can be treated.” – Modern Times Review

This striking documentary, filmed in sumptuous black-and-white, is an immersive portrait of Viktor, a young Deaf man living in Kharkiv who longs to enlist in the army to defend his country against the Russian invasion, but is denied entry due to his disability. He lives by the teachings of Miyamoto Musashi’s The Strategy of the Samurai and regularly practises using his katana. Eager to be of service, he manages to convince a local army unit to allow him to volunteer as a war photographer, since he has a talent for black-and-white photography.

Directed and shot by Olivier Sarbil, himself a war photographer who lost hearing in one ear after suffering an injury while documenting civil war in Libya in 2011, Viktor is an intimate and artful depiction of one man’s unique experience of life in the chaos of war. The striking monochrome imagery is accompanied by sound design that reflects Viktor’s own experience of the world, created by the Oscar-winning team behind Sound of Metal.

Festivals & Awards

Toronto International Film Festival 2024 – Nominee, Platform Award
Camerimage International Film Festival 2024 – Official Selection
Thessaloniki Documentary Festival 2025 – Official Selection
CPH DOX 2025 – Official Selection
Visions du Réel Film Festival 2025 – Official Selection