The Wizard of The Kremlin

Premiere: 13.03.2026
Duration: 2 h 26 min
DramaThriller

Russia early 1990s. The USSR has collapsed. Amid the chaos of a country rebuilding itself, a fiercely intelligent young man, Vadim Baranov, is charting his path. First, an avant-garde artist, then a reality TV show producer, he becomes the unofficial advisor to a former KGB agent destined to seize absolute power, the man who will soon become known as "The Tsar", Vladimir Putin. Immersed in the heart of the system, Baranov becomes the spin doctor of the new Russia, shaping speeches, fantasies and perceptions. Yet one figure remains beyond his control: Ksenia, a free-spirited and elusive woman who embodies the possibility of escape - far from political influence and domination.

Fifteen years later, after retreating into silence, Baranov agrees to talk. What he reveals blurs the boundaries between truth and fiction, belief and strategy. The Wizard of the Kremlin is a descent into the dark corridors of power, a film where every word serves as a scheme.

Based on the novel The Wizard of the Kremin by Giuliano da Empoli.

Distributor: SF Film Finland
Director: Olivier Assayas
Cast: Paul Dano, Jude Law, Alicia Vikander, Will Keen, Tom Sturridge, Jeffrey Wright
Screenwriter: Olivier Assayas, Emmanuel Carrère, Giuliano Da Emp