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A new film which will undoubtedly anger the Kremlin is set to depict an AI version of Vladimir Putin in soiled adult nappies, in what has been described as a bizarre “deepfake” biopic.
The film, entitled Putin, is due to be released in 35 countries and shows the Russian president working as a taxi driver, cheating on his wife and ordering the carpet-bombing of Chechnya.
Its Polish director, Patryk Vega, who has previously been known for his graphic depictions of the criminal underworld, used AI technology to superimpose the face of Putin onto an actor.
Slawomir Sobala studied Putin’s body language, movement and mannerisms in order to effectively portray the dictator, with the actor seen in one shot curled up partially naked on a leather chair.
In the two-minute trailer, a young Putin can also be seen navigating post-war St Petersburg, ordering political assassinations and in front of a row of scantily-dressed women in a forest.
After learning the ropes of power, he proceeds to exhort Boris Yeltsin, his predecessor as president, to “hand your power over to me. Only I can save you”.
In a move likely to anger Putin, who is notoriously private about his personal life, a scene shows him humiliating his former wife Lyudmila by embracing his new partner, Olympic gymnast Alina Kabaeva, in front of her.
Speaking before the film’s release, director Vega said: “Everyone is afraid of Vladimir Putin [but] in my film, he is a terrified man who is terrified of death.”
Mr Vaga revealed that during the course of the filming, his work attracted the attention of Kremlin agents.
Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival, he said that crew members working on the film had begun to receive messages requesting access to the script for money.
“They took from LinkedIn whole numbers of mobile phones for my crew and started messaging these people, saying things like, ‘I am an assistant to a congressman from South Dakota. I hear you made this film. My boss would like to pay $100,000 for a screening of this movie, and also for a script’,” he said.
Among the many countries due to showcase the film is Ukraine, who are currently embroiled in a war with Russia that is nearing its third year anniversary.
It was filmed over the course of 18 months with a budget of filming, with some scenes filmed inside Russia through the use of a concealed camera.
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