The Gold Rush 2003

Directed by Mykhailo Belikov

The film’s plot spans two eras: the 1930s and the present. Inspired by Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush, Stalin ordered gold mining in the Soviet Union using political prisoners, appointing his film projectionist as the head of the Kolyma mines. The projectionist enthusiastically extracted gold, made bullets from it, and received the Order of Lenin. Over 70 years later, journalist Mykola Vorotnytskyi finds a businessman’s body with the Order of Lenin and a gold bullet. Despite an investigation revealing the killer, Mykola chooses not to disclose the name, prioritizing ethics over a monetary reward.