MOSCOW (AP) – In a blow to Russia’s contemporary arts scene, investigators on Tuesday detained one of the country’s most prominent directors and are pressing embezzlement charges against him.
Kirill Serebrennikov, known for bold productions that poke fun at Russia’s growing social conservatism, is one of Russia’s most venerated theater and film directors whose work spans from drama to opera. His movie, “The Student,” won the Francois Chalais prize at the Cannes film festival last year.
Serebrennikov is suspected of embezzling 68 million rubles ($1.1 million) of government funds that were earmarked for a production at his theater, the Investigative Committee, which looks into high-profile crimes, said in a statement.
The RIA Novosti news agency on Tuesday quoted Serebrennikov’s lawyer Dmitry Kharitonov as saying that his client was detained in St. Petersburg where he was shooting a movie about a Soviet rock star and escorted to Moscow.
The 47-year-old director was briefly detained and questioned in May but the investigators stopped short of saying they suspect he was involved. The theater’s accountant and one senior manager are in custody and another manager is under house arrest pending the probe. Russia media reported earlier this month that the accountant had testified against the director.