Top Russian criminal investigator to star in film about government corruption

An official from Russia’s influential Investigative Committee, the main federal investigating authority, will star in a new film based on dramatist Nikolai Gogol’s play The Government Inspector. Vladimir Markin will star in Fool’s Day, a satire about small town corrupt officials directed by Alexander Baranov, who directed 2011 Russian hit Yolki 2. Markin said in a report: “If you can’t laugh at yourself, you’re doomed to fail. We’re showing that the Investigative Committee staff have a sense of humour.”

In an interview with Lenta.ru, Markin said that the role would “consolidate and strengthen the image of the department which we have been building from the beginning of the committee in 2011. We pride ourselves on information transparency and intolerance to corruption”.

The Investigative Committee answers directly to President Vladimir Putin, handling major criminal investigations including those against opposition leaders such as anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny. A former journalist, Markin is known for his outspoken comments about high-profile political figures ranging from Navalny to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

The new film will differ from the original tale, offering an alternate view of officialdom in Russia according to Alexei Veselkin, an actor in the film. Veselkin told Lenta.ru: “There is actually quite a big difference between our version and the classic. The main difference is that our film proves that you can be honest, eliminate corruption and change people for the better.”

Source: The Moscow Times