PODCAST | Nicolò Comotti interviews Alex Gibney, director of the film Citizen K.
Alex Gibney, the prolific documentary director, sits down with us to reveal his latest work: Citizen K. Centred around the figure of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the extremely wealthy Russian oligarch turned political exile and anti-Putin militant, Citizen K is an impressive document on how the wild wild East unravelled since the fall of the Soviet Union and through Putin it strives to return to its powerful, monolithic grandeur. Citizen K is out of competition in Venice 76.
Citizen K: In 2003, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, one of the richest men in Russia, began a ten-year sentence for tax evasion. Many believed his downfall was challenging then newly elected president Vladimir Putin. During his time in a Siberian prison, Khodorkovsky became a world-famous dissident. Today, exiled in London, he continues to battle Putin’s 19-year hold on power. Exquisitely photographed in the UK, Russia and Germany, Citizen K examines power in Russia.
Marian Arechega, director of the vibrant Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival, discusses the 2026 edition programme, showcasing recent and diverse cinema from Spain.
Rome is once again expanding the scope of its Film Fest: thirteen days of cinema, international premieres, renowned auteurs, emerging talent, series, documentaries, and cinematic heritage—with Javier Bardem, Paolo Genovese, and Monica Vitti at the heart of an edition that …