Writer-director Victor Ginzburg’s sci-fi horror Empire V, which has been banned in Russia, has released a first trailer ahead of its world premiere at Montreal’s Fantasia Festival next month.

The film is a social parody, which tells the story of a Russian state controlled by vampires. Based on a 2006 novel by Victor Pelevin, Empire V centres on a 19-year-old Muscovite (played by Pavel Tabakov) who is turned into a vampire, propelling him into an elite and powerful echelon of society that has controlled humanity since the beginning of time.

The novel’s synopsis provides a little more information: “Roman thought he’d found the perfect opportunity to rebel. He may have been wrong… He awakens strapped to a set of parallel bars in a richly appointed sitting room, and begins a conversation with a masked man which will change his life. His world has been a facade – one which the mysterious Brahma is about to tear away.” The post-modern satirical novel explores the cults and corruption of politics, power, and consumerist culture.

The cast also features rapper Oxxymiron, whose anti-war stance has led to him being declared a foreign agent by the Russian government, as well as Taya Radchenko, Miron Fedorov, and Vera Alentova.

Fantasia Festival runs from July 20th to August 9th. Watch the trailer for Empire V below: