He was taken to St. Petersburg, where he made a Film. Internationally, there is criticism of the actions of the Russian authorities against Kirill Serebrennikov. What he’s accused of and what’s behind it?
1. Who is Kirill Serebrennikov?
Kirill Serebrennikov is an internationally well-known Russian theatre, Film and Opera Director. The 47-year-old artist is a free spirit. The Russian leadership, he is critically and speaks openly about abuses in Russia. He runs the private “Gogol-theatre” in Moscow, has also worked, among others, the Komische Oper Berlin and the Opera house in Stuttgart. His productions have been performed at the Wiener Festwochen and the Festival of Avignon. In Cannes, as well as at the film festivals in Locarno, Rome and Warsaw, his films have been shown. Serebrennikov has already received many international awards.
2. What is he charged with?
Serebrennikov was on 22. August in St. Petersburg was arrested, where he was shooting a new movie. The arrest is the climax in a process due to infidelity, which has been dragging on for months. Due to suspicion of fraud will be determined against several former employees of Serebrennikows projects, including the production company of the “Seventh Studio”. 23. In August a court to put him under house arrest, decided – for the time being until the 19th century. October. He is allowed to make phone calls, among other things, or surf the Internet.
Serebrennikov was only heard as a witness. In may, the authorities searched his apartment and the premises of the “Gogol-theatre”. Although nothing Suspicious was found, was Serebrennikov classified as an accomplice – and his passport confiscated. Since then, he was not allowed to travel abroad.
Protest against the search of the Gogol theatre
Two weeks ago, an already-imprisoned former accountant of the production company threw the “Seventh Studio” Serebrennikov, a fraud organized. And the state investigation Committee in Moscow, said he was suspected between 2011 and 2014, public funds in the amount of 68 million rubles (the equivalent of about one Million euros) misappropriated. Serebrennikov was the mastermind of the fraud, according to investigators. Therefore, he had been arrested like a felon in handcuffs taken away. Serebrennikov himself rejects all accusations categorically.
3. What’s the allegations?
Until now, the investigating authorities have presented no evidence. All the accusations against Serebrennikov come from those former accountant, who had, however, changed in earlier interviews several times in their statements, and allegedly another arrested former assistant of the Director.
It is also curious how the case developed. The investigators threw Serebrennikov, to have public funds in the amount of 2.3 million rubles embezzled, which were determined for a production that had not been listed. In reality, the piece was shown in “a Midsummer night’s dream” by Shakespeare but a number of times and is still in Moscow. The action of the authorities was so heavy-handed that the investigators themselves were ridiculed by Putin.
4. What could be the real reasons?
The Kremlin-critical Russian Intellectuals are unanimous: This was an attempt, artists in Russia to intimidate the screws even tighter to put on and the artistic and political freedoms continue to be restricted. Serebrennikov was the state power has long been a thorn in the eye. In 2013, a film adaptation of the life of Peter Tchaikovsky was prevented. The Director had refused to let the homosexuality of the Russian composer’s “outside”, said at the time, the Russian Minister of culture. In July 2017, the Premiere of Serebrennikows Ballet “Nureyev” in the Moscow Boschoi was canceled-the Theater just four days before the performance. Apparently, because the Director had made in the piece, among other things, the homosexuality of the ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev on the topic.
Now Serebrennikov is represented as a Drahtzier of an alleged fraud. “Of course it is oppressive measures, from intimidation to a totally unprecedented and incomprehensible brutality,” said the well-known Russian film critic and Journalist Anton Dolin in the DW-interview.