Slated for release later this year, the film, entitled Putin, promises to be a no-holds-barred 60-year biography of the Russian dictator.
Shot in English, the film starts with Putin's troubled childhood at age 10, when he faced abuse from his stepfather.
It follows on with Putins's life milestones, including his entry into the KGB, his tenure in Dresden, and his quasi-criminal activities as deputy mayor of St. Petersburg. It goes on to mark both Chechen Wars, including the FSB's apartment bombings in Buynaksk, Moscow, and Volgodonsk, which were pivotal in escalating the Second Chechen War and significantly boosted Putin's popularity.
The film then deals with the Moscow theater hostage crisis and the Beslan school siege, events that resulted in a strengthening of powers of the president of Russia, and culminates with the war in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: EPA/Alexei Danichev/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN
Vega used a special technology akin to deep fake to superimpose Putin's features onto an actor's face. This technology is designed for high-resolution cinematic displays rather than mobile phones. The breakthrough came after a year of effort, overcoming significant technical difficulties.
Sneak preview in Ukraine's Borodyanka
The director has shared excerpts from the film in Borodyanka near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
"It was extremely important to me to confront this material with people from Ukraine, as these are the ones directly involved in the war," Vega said.
The response from the largest Ukrainian distributor was overwhelmingly positive, according to Vega, leading to plans for distribution of a Ukrainian dubbed version in Ukraine and globally, in countries with significant Ukrainian diasporas.
'No illusions that he intends to stop at Ukraine'
Vega hopes that Putin will bring the tragedy and reality of war back into global discourse. Echoing the opinion of military analysts, he asserts that Putin's war is not merely against Ukraine, but rather against the West, with Ukraine used as the battleground.
This perspective, Vega said, stems from his own experiences living under communism in his youth, and offers an insight into Putin's broader strategic aims.
"We should be under no illusions that he intends to stop at Ukraine," said the director.
The filmmakers suggested that Putin is more than a film; rather an instructional guide to understanding one of the world's most dangerous leaders, crafted with groundbreaking technology and offering deep personal and political insights into his motivations.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP