Got to Serebrennikov: who is who in the “Seventh Studio”
The Director Kirill Serebrennikov arrested on suspicion of fraud. Former employees created the “Seventh Studio” are already under arrest. For the Director and his colleagues stand up actors and officials, and in fact there was confusion. Russian service Bi-bi-si talks about the main drivers of this business.
On Tuesday in St. Petersburg had to go through another day of filming of the movie about Victor tsoe “Summer”. In the morning the crew gathered on the court, but the assistant Director announced that this day will be nothing: night on suspicion of theft of 68 million rubles was arrested the Director Kirill Serebrennikov. He was taken to Moscow for interrogation in Investigative Committee (SKR).
Employees RCDS in may raided the apartment of artistic Director of “Gogol-center” Serebrennikov. The result was then announced that for two years investigating the theft of more than 200 million rubles allocated for the project Serebrennikov, “the Seventh Studio”.
Over the summer, the court arrested the former General Director “the Seventh Studio” Yuri Itin, former chief accountant Nina Masleeva, ex-Director of the “Gogol-center” Alexei Malopolska, the searches took place at the Russian academic youth theatre (RAMT) of Sofia Apfelbaum.
What is the role of each of them in this case?
“The seventh Studio”, the project Serebrennikov
In 2008 Kirill Serebrennikov scored a pilot acting and directing course at the School-Studio MXAT. Graduates of this course in the 2011-2012 academic year, he formed a creative project “the Seventh Studio”.
The Studio staged the government. The most successful of them is “Hero of our time”, “Thugs”, “a Midsummer night’s Dream” and “Metamorphoses”. Most of them took place at the centre for contemporary art “Winery”.
This center was established another project Serebrennikov “Platform”. According to the authors of the “Platform” had become a kind of Union of theatre, music, dance and visual art.
Silver was very proud of this project. In March 2011 he spoke about it to Dmitry Medvedev who was then President. And complained that money for the arts can provide only the state.
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After this meeting, the government ordered annually for three years to allocate to this project for 70 million rubles a year from the budget. In just three years was allocated to 216,5 million for 2011-2014. After 2014, the money for the project, the government is no longer given.
At least one of the treaties about the allocation of funds was signed by the current Director of the Russian academic youth theatre (RAMT) Sophia Apfelbaum, who was then working in the Ministry of culture. She also was searched in may, but in the case it was also held as a witness.
To get budget money, registered and non-profit organization ANO “the Seventh Studio” — the registration address was the apartment of the Director on Prechistenka.
These budget money and attracted the attention of the Investigative Committee. In may, after the commencement of the case TFR reported that the case was filed back in 2015 then investigated the theft of 200 million rubles.
In the course of the investigation sounded different amounts of the allegedly stolen funds.
In the beginning, when I opened the case, the amount was 1.2 million; when attracted Malopolska — 2,3 million for the undelivered performance; then when a new case was filed was 70 million, and now in the latest regulations — 68 million Perhaps a consequence of conducting any examination and will soon determine the amount of damages, we do not know.Ksenia Karpinskaya Malopolska
In the message of the RCDS about the arrest Serebrennikov says that he facilitated the theft of “at least 68 million rubles.”
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Kirill Serebrennikov is one of the most famous theatre Directors in Russia, winner of numerous awards, including “Golden mask” for the play “the Thugs”, which was delivered to the “Seventh Studio” in 2012.
In addition to the “Gogol-center” silver coins in different years cooperated with the Grand theatre (Opera “the Golden Cockerel”, the ballet “a Hero of our time”), the Mariinsky theatre, the Berlin “Komische Oper”, the Latvian national theatre, as well as the school-Studio of MKHAT.
In 2012 he became the artistic Director of theatre of a name of Gogol. Serebrennikov was appointed to the Department of culture of Moscow without announcing an open competition, and at the time it sparked protests in the troupe.
After coming Serebrennikov has announced its disbanding of the theatre and turning it into a theater center — “Gogol-center”. In 2015 pieces of silver was not only the artistic Director but also the Director of the theatre.
Pieces of silver in recent years have repeatedly criticized the authorities. The Director participated in several protest actions, signed an open letter calling for the release of members of Pussy Riot spoke out against the ban on adoptions of Russian orphans by US citizens and limitations of LGBT rights and criticized the law on insulting the feelings of believers.
Despite the fact that the case of the “Seventh Studio” began with the RAID on the apartment of the Director, until August 22 Serebrennikov passed on business only as the witness.
Sources of the TV channel “Rain” reported that senior officials and government members addressed to President Vladimir Putin with a request not to allow the criminal case against the Director. According to interlocutors of “Rain”, the investigators planned to seek the arrest of the Director in may, but then received orders not to hurt him.
The Director himself has repeatedly declared innocence in the theft of all who were engaged in “Platform”. “Now we will prove that the project “Platform” was that it took place. We will prove it. The truth is easy,” wrote the pieces of silver in the “Facebook”.
In August Serebrennikov in an interview with the Suddeutsche Zeitung said that Russia had seized the passport.
I can’t go abroad. In September, I have to put in Stuttgart fairytale Opera “Hansel and Gretel” by Engelbert Humperdinck’s. I hope to be able to perform the contract.Cyril Serebrennikovskaja
Later Interfax, citing a source close to silver said that the TFR has appointed examination of the passport Serebrennikov seized during searches in late may. The purpose of this examination — ostensibly to verify the authenticity of the document. The interlocutor of Interfax, it was noted that the test was “just an excuse to not release a film Director abroad.”
22 Aug Serebrennikov arrested in St. Petersburg. He is a suspect under article “Swindle in especially large size” (part 4 of article 159 of the criminal code), the maximum penalty for this offence is ten years imprisonment.
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To searches in the “Gogol-center” name Nina Massieu was almost not known, but in the “Seventh Studio” it plays a key role. The woman in the past worked in “the Seventh Studio” in the position of chief accountant. With the end of 2015 Maslyaeva was an employee of the theater at Nikitsky gate, and before that also worked in the theater “Modern”. I wrote “Rain”, it is related to the field of culture since 2000 years.
During the investigation it turned out that to work in the “Seventh Studio” Maslyaeva came to having a criminal record. In 2009, she was tried for embezzlement (article 160 of the criminal code of Russian Federation) Bryansk drama theatre. Maslyaeva eventually pleaded guilty and received a lenient sentence, according to which she half years was forbidden to engage in financial activities.