‘Spoiler communists’ launch crowd funded revolution flick starring themselves
Leaders of the Communists of Russia party are planning to make a TV series about the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, where they play some famous figures and invite Russian stars to portray the main characters. The project’s release is slated for early 2018.
The head of the Communists of Russia party Maksim Suraikin has told the Izvestia daily that the series is meant to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1917 October Revolution. He added that he and his comrades expect to raise the necessary funds through crowdfunding.
Suraikin said he thought public interest in the 1917 events remains very high, despite the fact that the subject was covered excessively by Soviet filmmakers.He said the backers of the project wanted major Russian film stars to play top Bolshevik Leon Trotsky and the chairman of the provisionary government Alexander Kerensky. Deputy head of the Communists of Russia’s central committee, Sergey Malinkovich, plans to play the legendary sailor Zheleznyak – the man who, according to Soviet lore, announced the dissolution of the provisionary government and the start of the Communist era.
Suraikin also said that his party’s central committee intended to oversee the whole filmmaking process.
The Communists of Russia is a relatively young political project, registered as recently as 2012, and it should not be confused with the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. It has millions of followers and parliamentary representation, and is the official heir to the once omnipotent Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
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Communist Party MP Nikolai Kolomeitsev criticized the idea of the film in comments with Izvestia, but admitted there was no sense in opposing it.
“Do we really have such a party?” Kolomeitsev asked when reporters mentioned the Communists of Russia project. “Maksim Suraikin’s party is simply a spoiler created for the sole purpose of depriving us of votes at elections. Anybody can now shoot any movie.”
The Communists of Russia aren’t known for any significant legislative initiatives or public support, but they have managed to establish a consistent presence in the mass media through various bizarre suggestions and quick reactions to the latest fads. For example, in April Suraikin asked Moscow security officials to ban handheld monopods, aka “selfie sticks,” at forthcoming street celebrations on Victory Day. Earlier initiatives included a suggestion to bar US athletes from participating in the 2014 Sochi Olympics and a plea to the Central Bank to restrict sales of foreign currency to citizens.
