May 30, 2024

"Limonov" Biopic Premieres at Cannes


"Limonov" Biopic Premieres at Cannes
Ben Whishaw in character as punk writer Eduard Limonov.  Festival de Cannes

A film adaptation of Eduard Limonov's infamous memoir-novel It's Me, Eddie (Eto ya, Edichka), by acclaimed director Kirill Serebrennikov, premiered at Cannes Film Festival. The film stars English actor Ben Whishaw as Limonov, a controversial Russian writer and political figure who came to prominence in the 1980s while living in exile in France. The film also takes inspiration from Limonov, a 2011 biographical novel about Limonov by French journalist Emmanuel Carrère. 

Limonov's vivid, often scandalous novels illustrate his life, from his youth as a countercultural punk in Moscow, to his travels in France and the United States, where he experimented with gender and sexuality. It's Me, Eddie was published in France in 1979 and in Russia in 1991, where it has since sold over a million copies. 

Kirill Serebrennikov is one of Russia's most prominent directors. His film Leto (2018), which depicted the Leningrad rock music scene of the 1980s, also competed at Cannes. 

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