The Russian director says that he has never stolen anything at the Moscow trial

The well-known Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov claimed that he "never stole anything" during his court appearance on Wednesday under the charge of embezzlement considered by his supporters under the umbrella of the law. a crackdown on artistic independence.

Aged 49, who has challenged social norms and revolutionized the Russian art scene in recent years, he appeared at the first public hearing of his case after spending more than a year under house arrest.

"I can say that I do not understand anything," said the president of the Gogol Center Theater in Moscow in Meshchansky district court.

"I have never stolen or embezzled anything," he added, wearing jeans, a t-shirt and a hat – all black sneakers. and purple.

The audience room was packed with dozens of supporters when Judge Irina Akkuratova opened the hearing.

The three co-defendants of Serebrennikov – Sofia Apfelbaum, Yuri Itin and Alexei Malobrodsky – also appeared in court.

The award-winning director is accused of having embezzled more than $ 2 million of public funds for a theater project. He insisted that the money was used correctly.

– & # 39; Criminal Group & # 39; –

The prosecution claims that Serebrennikov and his co-defendants stole part of the funds allocated to the Platforma interdisciplinary modern art project between 2011 and 2014.

They are accused of signing fake contracts for "imaginary services" and then using the money "for their personal needs" while presenting dummy financial reports to the government.

Prosecutor Oleg Lavrov, speaking Wednesday in court, said Serebrennikov had coordinated the work of a "criminal group" and misled the Ministry of Culture by providing "false information".

Serebrennikov was arrested in August 2017 in St. Petersburg, where he was shooting a film about a Soviet rock band. He was taken to Moscow in a gesture that caused chills in the Russian artistic community.

His high-profile trial began last month with an in camera hearing.

The filmmaker's supporters see his case as part of a growing crackdown on artistic freedoms under President Vladimir Putin and have organized numerous campaigns demanding the release of Serebrennikov.

Hollywood actress Cate Blanchett was among those who called for dropping charges against her.

The free director was convicted by Russian curators for their daring productions, including a ballet on the legendary gay dancer Rudolf Nureyev at the Bolshoi Theater, where he used the nudity of the icon from photographer Richard Avedon.

Nikita Mikhalkov, a powerful Oscar-winning director close to Putin, said that Serebrennikov should not have been allowed to hang the stage in the country's most important theater.

Serebrennikov's defense last month asked the judge to call the 400 people involved in the Platforma project, while stating that his request had been refused.

While under house arrest, Serebrennikov had missed the creation of two of his major theatrical productions while continuing to work despite a ban on use of the telephone or the Internet.

His film "Leto" (Summer), shot and edited by rock band Kino and his legendary leader Viktor Tsoi, was to be completed without him. He was applauded in Cannes even before being presented at the film festival.

– & # 39; Soviet practices & # 39; –

He managed to produce the opera "Cosi Fan Tutte", the first of which took place Sunday in Zurich, recording videos with instructions on USB sticks, which were then sent to Switzerland.

Last week, Serebrennikov was nominated in three different categories for the prestigious Golden Mask Theater Award of Russia, with his first two theaters 2017.

One was a modern interpretation of a collection of small plays by Alexander Pushkin entitled "Little tragedies" at the Gogol Center Theater, the other was the acclaimed production of "Nureyev".

In recent years, he has criticized the growing censorship of the arts in Russia, warning that "everything is returning to the most pathetic practices of the Soviets".

Russian director and screenwriter Kirill Serebrennikov has broken taboos and revolutionized the Russian art scene in recent years.