Putin (film)

Putin
Putin
	Film poster
Directed by	Patryk Vega
Written by	Patryk Vega
Produced by	Patryk Vega
Starring	Slawomir Sobala; Tomasz Dedek; Justyna Karlowska; Thomas Kretschmann;
Cinematography	Michal Goscik
Edited by	Tomasz Widarski
Music by	Łukasz Targosz
Production; company	Vega Investments
Release date	10 January 2025;
Countries	Poland; United States; Malta
Language	English
Budget	$15 million

Putin is an upcoming English-language Polish biographical film directed by Patryk Vega. The film, depicting the rise to power of Russian president Vladimir Putin, is set for release on 10 January 2025.

Synopsis

The film covers the life of Vladimir Putin and focuses on key milestones in Putin's real life,^[1]^[2] including his childhood in Leningrad in the post-World War II Soviet Union, his recruitment into the KGB and subsequent Cold War-era career as an intelligence officer, and his tenure as the President of Russia. The film concludes with a fictionalized portrayal of Putin’s death.^[3]

Cast

Sławomir Sobala – Vladimir Putin (enhanced with AI to resemble Putin’s likeness)
Kalina Wysocka – Tanya
Thomas Kretschmann
Tomasz Dedek
Justyna Karlowska
Maksymilian Zielinski

Production

The film was produced by the independent production and distribution company XYZEl.^[4] The film was shot across various countries to authentically depict significant locations tied to Putin’s life and career, including Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Syria, Jordan and Poland.^[2]

Use of artificial intelligence

A groundbreaking aspect of the production is its use of artificial intelligence (AI) to alter the facial features of the lead actor, Sławomir Sobala, to make him look almost identical to Vladimir Putin.^[3]^[1]^[5]

The technology used in the film was specifically developed for the film by the Polish studio AIO.^[2]

This marks the first instance in cinematic history where AI was used to digitally transform the lead actor’s appearance for an entire motion picture.^[2]

Distribution

It was shown to international distributors at the Cannes Film Festival. It was planned to be presented in nearly fifty countries.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b Roxborough, Scott (10 May 2024). "How 'Putin' Will Test Audience Appetite for AI". The Hollywood Reporter.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Belinchón, Gregorio (20 May 2024). "Un Putin generado por inteligencia artificial protagoniza su 'biopic' en inglés y revoluciona Cannes". El País (in Spanish).
^ ^a ^b "Putin in diapers: deepfake film on Russian leader sells big at Cannes". South China Morning Post. 19 May 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Cannes 2024: AI-generated deepfake Putin film draws huge attention at the international film festival". The Times of India. 20 May 2024. ISSN 0971-8257.
^ Meza, Ed (15 May 2024). "Patryk Vega's AI-Generated 'Putin' Selling Globally Amid Intense Interest in Russian Leader (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.

External links

Putin at IMDb

[:0-1] Roxborough, Scott (10 May 2024). "How 'Putin' Will Test Audience Appetite for AI". The Hollywood Reporter.

[:2-2] Belinchón, Gregorio (20 May 2024). "Un Putin generado por inteligencia artificial protagoniza su 'biopic' en inglés y revoluciona Cannes". El País (in Spanish).

[:1-3] "Putin in diapers: deepfake film on Russian leader sells big at Cannes". South China Morning Post. 19 May 2024.

[:3-4] "Cannes 2024: AI-generated deepfake Putin film draws huge attention at the international film festival". The Times of India. 20 May 2024. ISSN 0971-8257.

[5] Meza, Ed (15 May 2024). "Patryk Vega's AI-Generated 'Putin' Selling Globally Amid Intense Interest in Russian Leader (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.

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