The scandal surrounding Sererenikov revealed the informal rules of the political game in Russia. Kirill Serebrennikov scandal: new details, why they were detained How it all looks from the outside
Serebrennikov's millions or how an LGBT propagandist is ruining the Moscow Gogol Theater May 28th, 2017
Original taken from mihooy in How an LGBT propagandist is ruining the Moscow Gogol Theater
The scandalous Gogol Center got involved in a story with losses in the amount of 80 million rubles, and in connection with this, the theater may close in the near future.
Earlier, the new director of the theater announced the financial difficulties of the Gogol Center Anastasia Golub.
It turned out that under the artistic director of the center - Kirill Serebryannikov - in the theater “there were no deductions to the extra-budgetary fund and no taxes on individuals“, and there was also a “lack of conducting planned financial business activities”.
Golub stated that due to the current situation, she is forced to suspend the conclusion of contracts for new productions, but the performances announced in the repertoire will go on.
“The repertoire created by the theater’s artistic director Kirill Serebrennikov is in demand by the audience - this is the main indicator of the theater. But the absurdity of the situation is that with such high artistic standards, economic indicators are deplorable", she noted.
In general, the Gogol Center is a state-owned state-financed organization culture of Moscow.
Previously, it was called the Moscow Drama Theater named after N.V. Gogol, but after the unexpected appointment of Serebryannikov in 2012, the theater changed its traditional name to a more “modern” one.
The beneficiary of the appointment of the odious director to the post of director of the state theater was the former head of the capital's department of culture Sergey Kapkov, which is also not surprising: Serebryannikov is considered a friend Ksenia Sobchak(and at that time it was Ksyusha who was “hanging out” with Kapkov).
After this, serious contradictions began within the cultural institution.
The theater troupe rebelled, outraged by the fact that a person who did not even have a higher theater education was coming to the management of the theater (Kirill Serebryannikov himself was a “physicist-mathematician” by training, and came to the theater as an “amateur”).
“The appointment of Serebrennikov as artistic director, who calls for the overthrow of the principles of the Stanislavsky system and denies Russian psychological theater, is a powerful impetus for the death of the Russian theater”, the actors said in their open letter.
After the actors’ demarche, Serebryannikov simply invited the troupe to “write statements”, and he himself moved abroad during the scandal.
And then it became known that the theater was being reformatted into the Gogol Center with three resident troupes, programs of film screenings, concerts, lectures and open discussions.”
In general, in this whole dark story, there may be several “skeletons in the closet” hiding at once..
Kirill Serebryannikov himself is a very freedom-loving figure with very non-standard views on Russian reality.
He has repeatedly become the object of harsh criticism from the cultural and political community, for example, for the use of homosexual images and, in general, an excessive passion for “stage debauchery.”
Serebryannikov shares “creative” views Marat Gelman and other popular “gallery owners”.
It is not surprising that various rumors are circulating around his person, including private accusations of non-traditional sexual orientation. And he himself is ready to add fuel to the fire: for example, in February 2013, answering a question from The New Times magazine, Serebryannikov openly supported homosexual teenagers.
And it is not surprising that films about history have already been presented at the Gogol Center Pussy Riot or, for example, the scandalous film about LGBT children, “The Life of Adele,” or they staged plays with “propaganda of homosexuality and pedophilia,” as MP and tireless fighter against Orangeism Evgeniy Fedorov said about the production of “Thugs.”
Another scandal erupted in 2013, when it became known about Serebrennikov’s intention to film the film “Tchaikovsky” based on his own script, where, as you probably already guessed, the great the composer should have been presented precisely from the perspective of his non-standard sexual orientation.
Serebryannikov even “broke through” funding for Tchaikovsky: the Ministry of Culture allocated 30 million rubles out of the required 240 million to support this project, but due to the scandal that broke out, the Cinema Fund refused further funding for the filming of the film.
Now Serebrennikov is talking about his intentions to seek funds for the project abroad. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds support there - as you know, there is a special attitude towards PR for famous homosexuals. Moreover, if at the same time you can kill two birds with one stone - and humiliate the image of the great Russian composer, and once again promote gay propaganda among Russian viewers.
It is possible, by the way, that Kapkov’s high-profile resignation was partly connected, among other things, with the personnel policy that he pursued as an official responsible for the capital’s culture.
As for Serebrennikov, as practice has shown, his “conceptualism” and passion for LGBT promotion only led the Gogol Center to economic default.
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In Stuttgart, all tickets for the fairy tale opera “Hans and Gretel” by Kirill Serebrennikov have been sold out. But it seems that after the famous director was accused of embezzling 68 million rubles, he is expected in other places. For example, in the Basmanny Court of the capital, where on August 23 a preventive measure will be determined for him.
Judging by recent events, there cannot be a lot of smoke without fire. The Seventh Studio case has been in the news for several months now, and for good reason. Kirill Serebrennikov was detained in St. Petersburg, where he was working on the film “Summer,” dedicated to Viktor Tsoi. The director was taken to Moscow under escort and, of course, not as a witness.
As stated in the release on the Investigative Committee’s website, the arrest was made “on suspicion of organizing the theft of at least 68 million rubles allocated in 2011-2014 for the implementation of the Platform project.” In the near future they intend to charge him and choose a preventive measure.
Scandalous news about the high-profile case of embezzlement of budget funds in the Seventh Studio founded by Serebrennikov began to arrive in May of this year. First, searches were carried out in the Gogol Center and in the director’s apartment. Serebrennikov acted solely as a witness. According to law enforcement agencies, from 2011 to 2014, the leadership of the non-profit organization "Seventh Studio" used the funds received for other purposes. But everything that happened was a sealed secret for the public. Only cries of indignation could be heard about the martyrdom of the talented director. The wave of discontent over the arrest of those involved in the activity was gaining momentum.
During the investigation, Serebrennikov was found to have an apartment in Germany worth 300 thousand euros. The property was purchased on May 9, 2012, during the fertile period of funding for the “Seventh Studio” by the Ministry of Culture. Schemes for withdrawing budget funds under fictitious agreements have been established. Alcohol, paper, and gift sets were purchased in abundance under illegal contracts. In fact, no services were received. 160 shell companies were involved in laundering public money. The name of Kirill Serebrennikov sounded more often and louder than others in this performance. However, in the shadow of the director's fame, several more names faded.
Yuri Itin, a graduate of the theater studies department of GITIS, former deputy rector for economic affairs, former director of the Seventh Studio, director of the Volkov Theater in Yaroslavl. He was detained as a suspect as part of a criminal investigation. He is under house arrest. He refuses to testify, citing Article 51 of the Constitution.
Former accountant of the Seventh Studio Nina Maslyaeva. At the time of her arrest, she worked as the chief accountant of the studio theater at the Nikitsky Gate. She gave testimony in which she stated that Serebrennikov, former general producer of the Seventh Studio Alexey Malobrodsky and Itin, with her help, “cash out funds” allocated for theatrical productions. The amount of total damage amounted to 68 million rubles.
Moreover, according to Spark, a database of legal entities and their founders, over the past five years in the theater under the leadership of Kirill Serebrennikov, a number of tenders worth about 5 million rubles have been won by legal entities whose founder is Kirill Serebrennikov. While in budget service, the director was engaged in commercial activities, including winning tenders from his own theater through the individual entrepreneur Serebrennikov.
The moral of this fable is this: art is art, but you need to know when to stop.
The artistic director and director of the Gogol Center, Kirill Serebrennikov, spoke about recent events that caused a strong public outcry. This week, searches were carried out in the capital's theater, as well as at the artist's home. In addition, information appeared in the media about a criminal case initiated in connection with the theft of 200 million rubles from state budget. Serebrennikov himself, as it turned out later, is a witness in the embezzlement case.
In his address to the public, the director noted that for the first time he was able to get in touch with his friends. According to Serebrennikov, all means of communication were taken away from him, including his computer. The man was sincerely touched by the warm comments on social networks that his family and friends left for him.
According to Serebrennikov, sometimes events happen in a person’s life for which he is not prepared. “This is exactly what happened to me and my friends, colleagues in the Platform project... Now we will prove that the project existed, that it took place. We will prove it. It’s easy to tell the truth,” the man added.
The director emphasized that he and his colleagues are calm and “ready for any questions.” In addition, Serebrennikov thanked everyone who spoke out in his defense.
“My favorite theater, the whole team, all the actors, all the spectators who have showered us with flowers these days, thank you very much for your support! And I really regret that this whole situation indirectly affected you. My dear and beloved Zhenya Mironov, Chulpan, Fedor Sergeevich, all my colleagues - Russian and foreign, everyone who signed a letter in our defense, who spoke at the rally, in our and the world press (the list is huge, I will call and write to everyone personally! ) – thank you for your honesty, for your brotherhood, for your great help and support!” – the man shared.
The artist did not hide the fact that he was going through a difficult period in his life. “These difficult days can undermine faith in people, in justice, in common sense, but for us it’s the opposite! – so much love, so much faith, so much support that it is impossible to forget and even impossible to fit into one human heart... I love you all very much,” the director concluded.
Previously, the artist was supported by a large number of celebrities, including Chulpan Khamatova, Fyodor Bondarchuk, Elizaveta Boyarskaya, Victoria Isakova, Yulia Peresild, Oleg Tabakov, Mark Zakharov, Konstantin Raikin, Ingeborga Dapkunaite, Victoria Tolstoganova and many others.
On behalf of everyone who cares about the fate of Kirill Serebrennikov, actor Yevgeny Mironov addressed Vladimir Putin. The artist handed over a letter from artists and cultural figures to the President of the Russian Federation, and also asked that the investigation into his colleague’s case be carried out “fairly and without extraordinary measures.”
The director and the ghost of the “strong hand”
“Damn you... May you all die from fear of each other,” this is the censored version of the reaction to what happened to Kirill Serebrennikov from Avdotya Smirnova, the wife of one of the main symbols of Russian liberal reforms of the 90s, Anatoly Chubais. And such a reaction can be considered very typical of the Russian creative class.
Not all prominent people in this environment considered it necessary, following the example of Chubais’ wife, to use profanity liberally. But almost everyone said something like the following: the security forces’ visit to Serebrennikov is a collapse of the foundations, something completely unacceptable, immoral, cynical and even criminal.
I am far from drawing any conclusions about the guilt or innocence of the head of the Gogol Center. But here is the conclusion that lies on the surface: among the Russian creative class, the question of whether Kirill Serebrennikov committed financial violations or did not commit them was of no interest to anyone. Everyone rushed to defend him because he is “one of our own” - flesh and blood of the creative class, its intellectual and artistic leader and tribune.
This reaction is not necessarily wrong. But it is characteristic primarily of a society built on clan principles. A society for which the question that matters is not: “Is a person guilty of what he is accused of?”, but the question: “Is this person ours or not?”
I repeat once again: I do not give out moral assessments and do not accuse anyone of anything. I am only stating a fact: the layer of Russian society that considers itself the most modern and progressive behaves in strict accordance with clan principles. From this we can conclude: our creative class thinks too much of itself. It is possible, but in my opinion it is not necessary. In the article “Party Organization and Party Literature,” Vladimir Lenin wrote: “It is impossible to live in society and be free from society.” This is exactly what our creative class does - lives in society and is not free from it.
We can castigate our “progressive intelligentsia” for a long time for the discrepancy between what they declare and how they actually behave. But let's ask ourselves: what part of Russian society behaves differently? In what part of Russian society is the clan principle not an organizational core and life guide? Among the security forces? Among officials? In a business environment? So it turns out: all that our creative class can be accused of is hypocrisy.
Again, this does not necessarily mean that Kirill Serebrennikov’s defenders are behaving incorrectly. From the point of view of the norms accepted in our society, they behave as they should: they appeal to the first person of the state, they allegedly circulate, which, by the way, can easily be regarded as putting pressure on law enforcement agencies. And who can tell me: in modern Russian conditions, is it good or bad to use the president to put pressure on investigators who are unraveling a specific criminal case?
When an iconic public figure is detained in the West, everyone declares their state of shock, but at the same time adds: the court will definitely sort everything out. In our society this phrase is also present - but only in a purely ritual sense. In Russia there is no trust in institutions, including the courts, law enforcement agencies, etc. In Russia there is a belief that any issue can be resolved by convincing the president that his picture of the world is correct and that “our own people” must be saved at any cost.
From someone's point of view, this is very bad. From someone’s point of view, this is very good and convenient. But first of all, this is a given - a given that cannot be changed by changing the president, prime minister, head of the Supreme Court and prosecutor general. Trust in institutions arises only when society gets used to the stability of its political system. We have not yet formed such a habit - and even in the best scenario it will not form for many years.
This, in my opinion, is the deep political meaning of the unpleasant story in which Kirill Serebrennikov found himself. Without wanting it, the fashionable director became the protagonist of a convincing and large-scale performance about the hidden norms of modern Russian life.
Read materials
Very scandalous story with the participation of director Kirill Serebrennikov, it begins to gain momentum. The incident caused a flurry of emotions and criticism online. The court has already announced its verdict to the director, and celebrities acted as guarantors in the court. Last news about the trial shocked the public and fans of Serebrennikov’s work.
As you know, only yesterday Kirill Serebrennikov was taken into custody and brought to Moscow, and today the trial in this case took place. The director is accused of embezzling funds that were allocated for the Platform project in the amount of 68 million rubles. Serebrennikov is being tried under the article of theft in large exchanges. Serebrennikov's supporters have already gathered outside the courthouse to support the director.
The court has now announced the verdict. The Basmansky Court of Moscow sent Kirill Serebrennikov under house arrest. Earlier it was reported that the director’s sister was ready to give any amount of bail for Kirill. The defense offered 68 million rubles as bail for Serebrennikov. In addition, dozens of stars and celebrities acted as guarantors, including Andrei Malakhov, Ksenia Sobchak, Irina Prokhorova, Natalya Solzhenitsyna and many others.
Serebrennikov is taken out of the courtroom to "Changes" pic.twitter.com/AFu9xp5BOE - Pyotr Verzilov (@gruppa_voina) August 23, 2017
Serebrennikov listens to the house arrest order amid cries of “Shame” from the street pic.twitter.com/2kA4Ffm9ko- Pyotr Verzilov (@gruppa_voina) August 23, 2017
Kirill Serebrennikov scandal: new details, why he was detained
Currently, the director has been placed under house arrest. But Serebrennikov’s assistant Anna Narinskaya was detained in court. Due to the arrest of Kirill Serebrennikov, filming of the film about Tsoi has been suspended. Also, several premieres from the director were planned for September and October, but due to a court decision, they will take place without Serebrennikov.
The lawyer said that they do not agree with this court decision. They brought to court dozens of the country's most famous cultural figures, who vouched for the director and also offered bail, but the court never heard them. But Irina Prokhorova said that all this is very sad. It’s hard to even imagine how I feel creative person who was deprived of his job.
