The Reykjavík International Film Festival proudly announces that the feature film The Wizard of the Kremlin will be this year’s closing film at RIFF. The story follows a quiet man, one whom few would have considered destined for greatness. Yet, when all is said and done, his contribution proves decisive for the fate of an empire—and of the world itself.

We are in Russia in the years after 1990. The Soviet Union has collapsed, and the Cold War order has been upended. Russia is at a starting point of sorts, though it is impossible to tell whether it is heading toward reform or chaos. Avant-garde artist Vadim Baranov is highly skilled in his field, but no one—except perhaps an obscure yet shrewd newcomer to politics with a shadowy background in the secret service, one Vladimir Putin—could have foreseen that Baranov would harness his creative force in service of the state. He would become the Kremlin’s most important image-maker and master of spin. It was his hand that crafted Russia’s new image behind the scenes and, more importantly, paved the way for Putin from the FSB headquarters to the Kremlin. The rest, Russians—and the entire world—know well.