Kirill Serebrennikov on Hamlet, Mengele, Exile, and Art's Confrontation with Evil

Confronting Absolute Evil Through Art

• 🎭 Exiled Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov discusses his new works that confront historical truths and systems of power.
• 💀 Both his film "The Disappearance of Josef Mengele" and his production of "Hamlet" open with skulls, symbolizing mortality and the weight of history.

Reimagining Hamlet for a Divided World

• 🗣️ Serebrennikov's "Hamlet/Fantômes" features eight actors sharing the role of the Danish prince, speaking in four languages (English, French, German, Russian).
• 🌍 This multilingual approach reflects the director's own experience with different cultures and the current global trend of building borders.
• 💡 The performance explores how Shakespeare's 16th-century play becomes a modern myth, resonating with contemporary consciousness and the paralysis of inaction.

The Disappearance of Josef Mengele

• 🔍 The film "The Disappearance of Josef Mengele" traces the Nazi doctor's escape to South America and the complicity that allowed him to evade justice.
• 🧠 Serebrennikov aimed to understand the origins and roots of absolute evil by exploring Mengele's perspective, emphasizing that art's purpose is to ask questions and provoke thought.
• ⚠️ He defines absolute evil as killing, antisemitism, and massacres, stressing the importance of remembering and confronting the past.

Art, Exile, and State Power

• ⛓️ Serebrennikov draws from his own experiences of imprisonment and exile in Russia, using his encounters with state power and oppression in his art.
• 📢 He highlights the line "art is tongue-tied by authority," referencing his prosecution and the ongoing imprisonment of his former student for anti-war poetry and plays.
• 💬 He asserts that theater is inherently a political statement, fostering communication, reflection, and deeper understanding, which is why politicians often fear it.

Future Projects

• 🎬 Serebrennikov is currently finishing his first French film, titled "Aurora," described as a humble project with big stars, continuing themes of insanity and reflection.