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Russian Culture Minister says authored idea of film on Nazi death camp

‘Sobibor’ highlights a rebellion of inmates at the camp that proved to be the only successful revolt within the system of Nazi camps

MOSCOW, February 15. /TASS/. Russian Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky has confirmed he was the author of the idea of the feature film ‘Sobibor’ that was produced by the Russian actor and film director Konstantin Khabensky.

Medinsky told reporters on Friday he had taken interest in the history of the Sobibor death camp.

"I am not entitled to any royalty fees and I am not the author of the storyline," he said. "I put down a story the size of several pages and gave it to the producer and told him, well, do it if you find it interesting. And they did a film on the basis of my material, you know, and this was fine."

"The Sobibor story is really unique and breathtaking," Medinsky said, adding that he prompted original ideas to producers frequently enough. "Many of them have materialized [in the form of films]."

He stressed once the absence of any financial relations between him and the production team of the film.

‘Sobibor’ highlights a rebellion of inmates at the camp that proved to be the only successful revolt within the system of Nazi camps. Konstantin Khabensky, the director, played the Red Army officer Alexander Pechersky, who led the rebellion.

Sobibor was in operation from May 1942 through to October 1943. Various sources indicate that the Nazis annihilated from 150,000 to 250,000 Jewish people from Poland and other European countries.

The camp was closed down right after the uprising led by Pechersky.