'Want to Peek Through the Keyhole': Deputy Opposes Intimacy in Cinema

During the broadcast of the American film «The Maid» (18+) on cinema screens in the Caucasus, erotic scenes began to be cut. This was reported by Gazeta.RU with reference to the Mash Telegram channel. Viewers« reactions to the decision are mixed.

However, State Duma deputy from Yaroslavl Oblast, actor, director, screenwriter, and president of the Golden Knight film forum Nikolai Burlyaev supports this approach.

«I am categorically against the sexualization of cinematography, which has become universal,» he explained to the portal 76.RU.

The only reason directors insert explicit scenes into their films, according to Nikolai Burlyaev, is box office revenue.

«It»s calculated that if you introduce this, people will come who want to peek through the keyhole,« the deputy explained.

Nikolai Burlyaev himself believes that this is fundamentally incorrect.

«Teaching at VGIK (the All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography) and leading a master class in authorial film direction there, I always tell my students: »You must make films for everyone. A child comes to your film—let them understand a little at first, but they will perceive some of the ideas embedded there. Then after five or ten viewings, they will make serious conclusions about those films that shaped their worldview and attitude to life and everything around.«» he noted.

Burlyaev emphasized that the motto of his forum «Golden Knight» is «For moral ideals, for the elevation of the human soul.» This, according to the deputy, should be the basis of art.

«As Tertullian, who lived long ago, said, every soul is by nature Christian. We, film workers, must handle this Christian soul very carefully. And another phrase, which is directly addressed to us, to all who are engaged in art. It is from the Gospel: »It is impossible that temptations should not come, but woe to him through whom they come.« Personally, I am guided by these categories. I have never allowed this in any of my films that I directed as a director,» said Nikolai Burlyaev.

He added that as a deputy, he is preparing a draft law on public control in the cultural sphere. Nikolai Burlyaev emphasized that this will not be censorship, but an assessment of works by cultural figures, scientists, educators, law enforcement officers, clergy, and other experts who can evaluate the impact of a particular work on the viewer and formulate corresponding recommendations.

Recall that in January 2025, Nikolai Burlyaev told portal 76.RU that he appealed to the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia Alexander Bastrykin with a request to reinvestigate the murder of a Russian classic, as he believes it could have been planned, and the version about a duel is erroneous. The Investigative Committee reported that the investigation has not yet begun.