Russian film and theater director Kirill Serebrennikov, whose film “Leto” (Summer) was in competition in Cannes last year, has been released from house arrest. He will remain on bail while a criminal charge against him for the alleged embezzlement of 130 million rubles ($1.98 million) is considered.
Serebrennikov remains confident he can disprove the charge against him. “This is not a victory yet but we are almost there,” he said after the decision was made Monday by Moscow’s Meshchansky District Court. During the hearing, Serebrennikov described the case against him as “unfounded and bound to collapse in court,” according to Russian news agency TASS.
Serebrennikov, the head of Moscow’s Gogol Center theater, has been detained since August 2017. He says he intends to return to work, although he is prohibited from leaving Moscow.