The Patriot / Kirill Serebrennikov: Kunst und Macht in Russland

Патриот / Кирилл Серебренников – искусство и власть в России
95 min., 18+

The Patriot

2018, Germany, 35 min., 18+
At the age of 21, Vasily Vlasov became the youngest parliamentarian in the Russian Duma. Given his abundant confidence and self-assured manner, he could have been a refreshing new voice. But Vasily’s ideals are rooted in the past – seated at his kitchen table, he explains that women should obey their husbands, and at most have a humble occupation such as nurse or schoolteacher. His girlfriend Katya, who's about the same age and has political ambitions of her own, listens on with a benign smile on her face.

Vasily is the assistant and protégé of the clownish ultra-nationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky. Strikingly, his deeply conservative party LDPR (Liberal Democratic Party of Russia), which is viewed by some as fascistic, is particularly popular among young people. To a slick Russian rock 'n' roll song, Vasily walks us through the political theatre staged in Moscow during the presidential election in 2018: meetings with his supporters, campaigning out on the street, and conducting "quality control" on an outdoor market trader – calling to mind events in 1930s Germany. Vasily’s ambition to play his role right is as dangerous as it is comical.
Director:
Katja Fedulova

Kirill Serebrennikov: Kunst und Macht in Russland

2019, Germany, 60 min., 18+
Kirill Serebrennikov, a prominent Russian theater director, was put under house arrest on August 2017 on charges of fraud. As director of the Gogol Center, a theater in Moscow that he created, Serebrennikov has promoted modern art during his prolific career as a playwright, director, and TV anchor. He has also espoused views critical of the Russian government, making him a desirable target of repression. 
Director:
Katja Fedulova

Currently on screen