Limonov: The Ballad

Limonov: The Ballad

Company type	Film
Industry	Motion picture
Founded	2024
Founder	Kirill Serebrennikov (director)
Products	Biographical drama film

Limonov: The Ballad is a biographical motion picture released in 2024, directed by Kirill Serebrennikov. It is an adaptation of Emmanuel Carrère's 2011 novelized biography, which chronicles the life of Eduard Limonov, the Russian dissident author and political figure who established the National Bolshevik Party.

The film was a contender for the prestigious Palme d'Or at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, where it had its debut on 19 May 2024. In Italy, distribution was handled by Vision Distribution starting from 5 September 2024.

Premise

The narrative follows Eduard Limonov through his multifaceted existence as a revolutionary activist, underground author, political provocateur, and novelist, traversing Russia, the United States, and Europe during the latter part of the 20th century.

Cast

• Ben Whishaw portraying Eddie (Eduard Limonov)
• Viktoria Miroshnichenko as Elena
• Tomas Arana in the role of Stephen
• Corrado Invernizzi as Lonya
• Evgeniy Mironov playing Kuznetsov
• Andrey Burkovsky as Poet (Yevgeny Yevtushenko)
• Maria Mashkova cast as Anna
• Vadim Stepanov in the role of Model
• Vlad Tsenev as Waiter
• Sandrine Bonnaire acting as Radio Interviewer
• Céline Sallette portraying Intellectual
• Louis-Do de Lencquesaing also as Intellectual
• Ivan Ivashkin in the role of Poet
• Odin Biron playing Ethan
• Donald Sumpter as Eddie's father

Production

In 2017, Paweł Pawlikowski developed a screenplay based on Emmanuel Carrère's biographical novel Limonov (2011), which explores Eduard Limonov's life story. Pawlikowski initially intended to direct this adaptation but withdrew from the project by 2020 due to diminishing interest in the subject.

Release

Limonov: The Ballad premiered on 19 May 2024 at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d'Or. Following its festival debut, Vision Distribution released the film in Italy on 5 September 2024. Subsequent releases included France on 4 December 2024 via Pathé, and Spain on 21 February 2025 through Filmin.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie holds a 68% approval rating based on 22 critiques, with an average rating of 6.4 out of 10. Meanwhile, Metacritic reports a weighted average score of 61 from 9 reviews, reflecting "generally favorable" feedback.

Accolades

Award	Ceremony Date	Category	Nominee(s)	Outcome
Cannes Film Festival	25 May 2024	Palme d'Or	Kirill Serebrennikov	Template:Nom