Director Mikhaïl Lockshin on 'The Master and Margarita' Film's Success and Controversy in Russia

The Master and Margarita: A Controversial Russian Film

• 🎬 The film "The Master and Margarita," directed by Mikhaïl Lockshin, has achieved significant success in Russia, becoming one of the highest-grossing films despite being criticized as anti-regime.
• ✍️ Based on Mikhaïl Bulgakov's 1930s cult novel, the story follows a playwright in 1930s Russia whose work is censored, and who is inspired by his mistress to write a new novel about a mystical dark force avenging those who caused his downfall.
• 🗓️ Filmed before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the movie's themes of artistic freedom and authoritarianism gained unexpected relevance and resonance after the invasion.

Themes of Artistic Freedom and Censorship

• 🗣️ Lockshin notes that the film was conceived as a cautionary tale about where Russia could be heading, reflecting on the trends of the time, but the current reality of artists and writers being jailed for their work was unimaginable then.
• ⚖️ The film's themes and Lockshin's anti-war stance complicated its post-invasion release, leading to production halts and uncertainty about its distribution.
• 🚫 The director highlights the existence of laws like the "fakes against the war," making it a criminal offense to call the conflict a war, a stark contrast to the environment when the film was made.

Audience Reception and Film Adaptation

• 🌟 The film's success is attributed to a combination of its cult novel following (over 100 million copies sold globally) and the controversy surrounding it, which may have driven audiences with anti-regime views to watch it.
• 📖 The book itself faced censorship in Soviet times and was only published 26 years after the author's death.
• 🤔 Lockshin and his co-writer took liberties in adapting the complex, modernist novel with multiple storylines to create a comprehensible plot for a wider audience, a decision that was initially a source of worry but was largely supported by viewers.

Director's Stance and International Distribution

• ⚠️ Lockshin has faced threats and attempts to censor the film since its release, including being called a "terrorist" in the Russian State Duma.
• 🌍 He has not returned to Russia since 2021 due to his stance against the war and the threats he received.
• 🌐 Efforts are underway to secure wider distribution for "The Master and Margarita" in Europe, with releases planned for Germany and Italy, and hopes for distribution in France.