Faust prospers in Europe

The latest drama from nonpareil Russian director Aleksandr Sokurov – Faust – has proved a success in Italy, where it has just been released.

­Made in German with German actors in the leads, the film made nearly $100,000 there over just one weekend.

It is set to be released in Germany in early December, and then at the beginning of next year, finally in Russia, where it will also be shown in the original language.

Earlier this year, Sokurov’s film picked up the top honors – the Golden Lion award – at the world’s oldest film forum, the Venice International Film Festival where head of the jury, Darren Aronofsky, described the picture as “mind-blowing”.

Sokurov’s film is the crowning final chapter of his tetralogy about the relationship between man and power. Moloch took a look at Hitler, Taurus focused on Lenin, and The Sun explored the life of Japanese Emperor Hirohito.

The Siberian-born, St Petersburg-based director made his name as the high-octane author of such masterpieces as Mother and Son and The Russian Ark. His thought-provoking dramas have featured at the most prestigious festivals.

The 60-year-old filmmaker has long explored the phenomena of power and conformity in his films, one of them a documentary about the first President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin.

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