Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov arrives in Germany after travel ban lifted

Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov was permitted to leave the country and has travelled to Berlin, his team said on Friday.

The 52-year-old is known for his daring films and plays that have earned him the ire of conservatives.

He was convicted in 2020 of embezzling funds at Moscow´s Gogol Centre theatre and barred from leaving the country, which his supporters say was revenge for his critiques of authoritarianism and homophobia.

But he was recently informed that, having served half his sentence, he would be permitted to travel.

"I left Russia since I´ve got an opportunity to do it legally. In Europe I have few important meetings concerning my future projects," Serebrennikov said in a statement by email.

His team did not say whether he planned to return to Russia.

Serebrennikov is due to soon begin rehearsals for a German opera, "Der Freischutz", in Amsterdam.

He is also due to open the Avignon Festival in France this summer with a new play based on "The Black Monk", a short story by Anton Chekhov.

The travel ban meant Serebrennikov was unable to attend the Cannes Film Festival last year where his film "Petrov´s Flu" was competing for Palme d´Or.