Putin Unaware of Jude Law Film ‘The Wizard of the Kremlin’ Premiering at Venice
Russia's President Vladimir Putin addresses a press conference at the end of his visit to China in Beijing on September 3, 2025, following his attendance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin and a military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II. ©Maxim Shemetov / POOL / AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had not heard of The Wizard of the Kremlin, a new film starring Jude Law as him that premiered this week at the Venice Film Festival. Directed by Olivier Assayas and based on a bestselling novel, the film depicts Putin’s rise to power through the eyes of a fictional political advisor.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday he had not heard about The Wizard of the Kremlin, a film starring Jude Law as the Russian leader that premiered at the Venice Film Festival.

The film by French director Olivier Assayas is a look at Putin's career through the eyes of a fictional political advisor, Vadim Baranov, and is based on a top-selling novel of the same name.

British actor Jude Law, 52, plays Putin in The Wizard of the Kremlin, one of 21 films competing for the top prize at the Venice Film Festival that runs until Saturday.

Asked about the film and the actor playing him, Putin told a press conference in Beijing with journalists including from AFP that he had not heard about it.

"No, I haven't seen this film. It's even the first time I'm hearing about it. I can't comment because I don't know," Putin told reporters.

Assayas said the film was first and foremost a story about authoritarianism, with Russia's transition from a chaotic democracy in the late 1990s to Putin's modern autocracy a warning for the West.

With AFP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments
  • No comment yet