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Serebrennikov’s film joins Cannes festival’s lineup

This year’s Cannes Film Festival will be held on May 8-19

Kirill Serebrennikov Sergei Fadeichev/TASS

Kirill Serebrennikov

© Sergei Fadeichev/TASS

PARIS, April 12. /TASS/. Russian theatrical producer and director Kirill Serebrennikov’s Leto (Summer) film about the life of Soviet rock star Viktor Tsoi and the Leningrad rock underground of the 1980s has been included into the main program of this year’s International Cannes Film Festival, it’s artistic director Thierry Fremaux stated on Thursday.

The plot revolves around the little-known events of Tsoi’s life, unfolding in Leningrad during the summer of 1981 when the Russian rock music was born influenced by Led Zeppelin, David Bowie and other Western rock stars.

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"This film details the history of rock and immerses the audience into the era of [Soviet leader Leonid] Brezhnev, colorfully depicting life during this period on the screen. We are very happy to present this film here," Fremaux said.

The Russian director will get an invitation to personally present his new film at the festival, Fremaux told reporters. Serebrennikov is under house arrest in Russia on charges of embezzling budget funds. Earlier on Thursday, Russian investigators called for extending his house arrest until July 19.

This year’s Cannes Film Festival will be held on May 8-19.

Ilya Stewart, producer of Leto, believes that the film’s participation in the main program of the 71st Cannes Film Festival is the victory of the entire Russian cinema.

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"We are very proud that our film has been included in the main program of one of the world’s most important film festivals," Stewart said. "In my view, this shows that Kirill Serebrennikov is a director of the global level and in general, this is a major victory for Russia’s cinema."

The film’s release date in Russia is yet unknown.

In 2016, Serebrennikov took part in the Cannes festival presenting there his film The Student, which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section. It won the Francois Chalais Prize.

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