Donald Trump's film The Apprentice will be released in cinemas in Russia

The critically acclaimed Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice – something the former president has repeatedly denounced – arrives in cinemas in a somewhat surprising place: Russia.

The film, written by a veteran Vanity Fair by reporter Gabriel Sherman and directed by emerging Iranian-Danish director Ali Abbasi, will be released on Friday on 800 screens across Russia. Moscow distributor Arna Media is handling the release after acquiring local rights to the film last month from British sales agent Rocket Science. Sources close to the film say only modest cuts were needed to bring the film to Russia.

Russia's release plan is somewhat at odds with the real Donald Trump's reportedly intimate relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin has drastically curtailed any artistic expression that he deems unwelcome to his regime's interests. Moscow has raided concerts and fined musicians who criticized the country's war in Ukraine, placed dissenting filmmakers on wanted lists and censored books and art exhibitions.

Last month, journalist Bob Woodward reported that Trump has spoken to Putin several times since leaving the White House. Meanwhile, Trump has threatened to sue the manufacturers of The Apprentice and described the film as “a cheap, defamatory and politically disgusting war job”.

“It is so sad that HUMAN SCUM, like the people involved in this hopefully failed enterprise, can say and do whatever they want to harm a political movement,” Trump added in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.

Film critics, however, had a different point of view. The Apprentice debuted to rave reviews and an eight-minute standing ovation when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Powerful work from the film's key cast: Marvel star Sebastian Stan in the compelling role of young Donald; Succession favorite Jeremy Strong brings all his method actor intensity to Cohn's dark eccentricities; AND Borate 2 up-and-comer Maria Bakalova as the vivacious young Ivana Trump – made the film an Oscar favorite in several categories for the 97th Academy Awards.

However, the film's journey to US cinema screens was challenging, and it was so in Russia too.

Days after the premiere in France, Trump's lawyers filed a cease-and-desist letter threatening to sue the producers and any future distributors of The Apprentice. Around the same time, reports emerged that the film's major financier, Kinematics – founded by producer Mark Rapaport, son-in-law of billionaire and well-known Trump donor Dan Snyder – had objections to a crucial scene in the film in which a young Donald rapes his then-wife Ivana Trump.

A long struggle over the final cut of the film ensued, and the perceived risk of retaliation from a potential second Trump presidency caused all major US studios and streamers to abandon acquiring the film for release. Ultimately, a last-minute deal between Kinematics and independent distributors Briarcliff Entertainment and startup Rich Spirit paved the way for the film's North American release on October 11th. The deal also put the film's final cut back in the hands of its producers. director Abbassi, who carried out rigorous re-editing, strengthening several sequences, including the sexual violence scene.

For the Russian release, the producers initially received requests to completely remove the rape scene. Abbassi is said to have strenuously argued his importance to the film and eventually a compromise was reached. The final Russian cut restored the version of the assault scene presented at the Cannes premiere instead of the longer, more frank depiction of Abbassi's final cut.

That a Russian distributor would jump at the chance to try to release it The Apprentice Maybe it's not a surprise. The country has been starved of Hollywood products since studios began boycotting the Russian market following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. Independent companies, which have never stopped selling in Russia, they benefited from the lack of studios. competition.

In North America, The Apprentice opened below expectations last month with $1.6 million in its first weekend. The national number has since grown to about $3.9 million for a worldwide total of $12 million. The film will launch on premium VOD platforms – Apple TV, Prime Video, Vudu, etc. – Friday 1 November.

“We're pretty happy with this issue,” says executive producer James Shani. “From the beginning, we expected this film to develop slowly through awards season and beyond.”

Shani also says The ApprenticeThe global numbers suffered a slight decline as the film was forced to abandon several international markets due to censorship issues. Abbassi and his producers engaged in back-and-forth negotiations with film regulators in India, Saudi Arabia and Singapore, before ultimately concluding that the changes required by these markets were beyond the pale. Some of the suggested cuts were in line with the usual policies of Saudi, Indian and Singaporean film regulators, all conservative territories and censorious in their own ways. But eventually it became clear The Apprentice team that regulators were taking a heavier role than usual due to the film's high-profile subject, who could soon return to the presidency of the United States.

“Our perception was that they were asking more than usual and trying to play it safe, because of Trump,” Shani says.

Scott Roxborough contributed to this report from Germany.

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