‘Empire V’: Watch The Trailer For The Controversial Russian Horror Film
Russian-set sci-fi horror film Empire V debuts its first trailer for the film ahead of its world premiere at the Fantasia Festival. The controversial film, directed and written by Victor Ginzburg, was banned from being screened in Russia.
Read the full synopsis:
In the film, a 19-year-old Moscow nobody is turned into a vampire, and thereby becomes part of an elite and powerful echelon of society who have controlled humanity since time immemorial. Empire V is an astounding visual feast, featuring innovative and propulsive visual effects sequences that enhance and elevate its timely social commentary.
Essentially, Empire V is a parody of modern Russian society being controlled by vampires. In 2022, the film was set to be released by Sony across Russia. But, one week before it was released, the film was pulled from theaters by the Kremlin.
Watch the official trailer below:
Popular Russian rapper Oxxymiron stars in the film. He was recently declared a “foreign agent” by the Kremlin due to his anti-war stance. Empire V also stars Pavel Tabakov, Taya Radchenko, Miron Fedorov and Vera Alentova.
Director Victor Ginzburg said,
“For me, Empire V was an opportunity to experiment in the vampire genre but within a uniquely challenging narrative structure: telling a post-modern Moscow love story against the backdrop of a ruthless satire of modern civilization while retaining Pelevin’s brutal eye for the ironies of Russian society. Of course, there was the opportunity to design and create never before seen worlds and creatures.
For the first time in my life, when I was confronted with the ugly specter of state censorship, it was a heartbreaking feeling for me and for all the people who put years of work and love into this film. The same goes for literally millions of Russian fans that have been waiting for the release, many of whom helped crowdfund this truly independent film.
Empire V will have its world premiere at the 2023 Fantasia Film Festival in July.
Categorized:News
