The Cinematheque

“With Green Light [Pavel Cuzuioc] has created a painful, necessary, and deeply human work. A film that we will not easily forget.”

Marina Pavido, Cinema Austriaco

“Anyone who decides to end their life always has a very serious reason,” says Dr. Johann Spittler, a German neuropsychiatrist assessing patients who seek assisted suicide. Director Pavel Cuzuioc, doubling as the film’s cinematographer, follows Dr. Spittler as he considers the decision-making capacity of those who wish to die. From patients struggling with terminal illnesses to psychiatric conditions, we witness candid encounters that provoke lingering ethical questions. As Dr. Spittler affirms his belief in the right to choose death, quiet scenes between consultations are juxtaposed against his pending trial for manslaughter. Eschewing didacticism, Green Light brings uncomfortable conversations to the forefront, poignantly pondering not only the decision to die itself, but bearing witness to the contemplation of choices with life or death consequences.

Winner, DOCU/WORLD Competition
Docudays UA 2026

Post-screening discussion with Elizabeth Leonardis, a MAID assessor and provider since 2017.

Moderated by Selina Crammond, series programmer.