19-25 January
2026
The Iron Curtain is descending once again.
Russia, early 1990s. Amid post-Soviet chaos, a brilliant young man, Vadim Baranov, charts his path. First as an artist, then a reality TV producer, before becoming the spin doctor to a rising KGB agent: Vladimir Putin.
At the heart of power, Baranov shapes the new Russia, blurring the boundaries between truth and lies, belief and manipulation. Only the magnetic Ksenia is beyond his control, tempting him away from this dangerous game.
Years later, after retreating into silence and shrouded in mystery, Baranov finally opens up, revealing the dark secrets of the regime he helped build.
The Wizard of the Kremlin is based on the acclaimed novel by Giuliano da Empoli, and is a fascinating journey into the dark hallways of power, where every word is a weapon.
Selected for Focus: Fascism
Based on the true story of Vladimir Putin’s rise to power, this film effectively maps the historical shifts of the 1990s and the subsequent consolidation of Russian society. It visualizes the "vertical of power," showing how every level of the state was gradually brought under the absolute control of the Kremlin.
Olivier Assayas (b. 1955) is an award-winning director who started his career as a film critic. He made his feature film debut with Disorder in 1986 and has since directed more than twenty feature films, as well as episodes of several television series. He’s been a firm fixture at all major film festivals for decades and has among others won best director at Cannes (Personal Shopper, 2016) and best screenplay at Venice (Something in the Air, 2012). Several of his films have screened at TIFF, and he was an honorary guest at the 2012 edition of the festival.
Filmography (selection)
2018 Non-Fiction (TIFF 2019)
2016 Personal Shopper
2008 Summer Hours (TIFF 2009)
1996 Irma Vep (TIFF 1997)
1994 Cold Water
1986 Disorder
| Programme: | Focus: Fascism |
| Director: | Olivier Assayas |
| Country: | United Kingdom, France |
| Year: | 2025 |
| Run time: | 2h 36m |
| Screenplay: | Olivier Assayas, Emmanuel Carrère, Giuliano Da Empoli |
| Cast: | Tom Sturridge, Alicia Vikander, Jude Law, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright |
| Dialogue: | English |
| Subtitles: | No subtitles |
| Source: | SF Norge |
| Age limit: | 15 |