Kirill Serebrennikov

Born in Rostov-on-Don in 1969, Kirill Serebrennikov started studying theatre after graduating from university with majors in physics in 1992. A stage and film director, he is a key figure in contemporary creation in Russia. He has directed adaptations of Gorky, Ovid, Shakespeare, or Pushkin, as well as operas for the Bolshoi Theatre and in Europe. His radicalness and his pro-democracy and pro-LGBT rights positions caused him to be placed under house arrest in 2020 and to be condemned to a suspended prison sentence, thus escaping the 6 years in jail asked for by the prosecution since 2017. Avignon audiences are faithful to this artist who has presented The Idiots (2015), Dead Souls (2016), and Outside (2019). His last three films, The Student (2016), Leto (2018), and Petrov’s Flu (2021), were all selected for the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

Portrait of Kirill Serebrennikov © Ira Polyarnaya