| Empire V | |
| Director: | Victor Ginzburg |
| Cinematography: | Aleksei Rodionov |
| Runtime: | 114 minutes |
| Country: | Russia |
| Language: | Russian, English |
| Budget: | ₽460 million |
Empire V (Russian: Ампир V|Ampir V) is a 2023 Russian urban fantasy film directed by Victor Ginzburg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Pelevin, and starring Pavel Tabakov as Rama II, a vampire apprentice, begins training to become a full-fledged vampire.
In the film, the image of the goddess Ishtar was copied from Alla Pugacheva, who for several decades was one of the main pop icons of show business in Russia and Eastern Europe.[1] [2]
Set in contemporary Moscow, Empire V is both fantasy vampire love story and sardonic satire of Russia's power elite, a vivid mirror image of a world ruled by beauty, blood and money.
The novel was adapted into a film directed by Victor Ginzburg and starring Pavel Tabakov alongside Miron Fyodorov. It premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival in July 2023.[4] The Russian government refused to release a distribution permit for the film in 2022, effectively banning it in the country.[5]
Empire V has an approval rating of 83% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 6 reviews, and an average rating of 6.8/10.[6]