EXCLUSIVE: Victor Ginzburg’s timely sci-fi horror Empire V, which is described as a social parody of Russia being controlled by vampires, world premieres at Montreal’s Fantasia Fest this July.
Ahead of the debut, Deadline can reveal a first trailer for the film which has gained fresh resonance following the revolt in Russia over the weekend by Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner mercenary group.
Based on a 2006 satirical novel by Victor Pelevin, the film revolves around a 19-year-old Muscovite who is turned into a vampire, propelling him into an elite and powerful echelon of society that has controlled humanity since time immemorial.
Pavel Tabakov plays the lead role with the cast also featuring Russian rapper Oxxymiron, whose anti-war stance led to him being declared a “foreign agent”, alongside Taya Radchenko, Miron Fedorov and Vera Alentova.
The film is produced by America’s Heartland Films and Russia Kvadrat Film Company and Andrey Trubitsyn, Maria Kapralova, Alexei Tylevich and James Steele.
Sony had been due to release the film in Russia on more than 1,800 screens in the first quarter of 2022, but the government refused to release its distribution permit, effectively banning the film.
Reel Suspects is handling international sales on the title.
