Fictional Film -
Real Change

Moldova is the poorest country in Europe. It was controlled for many years by a powerful oligarch known as the “Puppet Master.”

In 2014, The “Puppet Master” and his partner looted over a billion euros from the Moldovan treasury. It was the largest theft in modern European history.

By 2018, the oligarch controlled Moldova’s executive branch, parliament, and most of the nation’s media. He even hired American political advisors to help him stay in power. One of these advisors went on to work for President Trump as Director of National Intelligence.

In fall 2018, two Americans, Neil Irwin and David Larson, travelled to Moldova to film “Stampila,” a movie that they hoped would shatter The oligarch’s untouchable image. Stampila tells the story of a fictional Moldovan oligarch being overthrown by his people. The film was shot on location in Moldova, while the real oligarch was still at the height of his power.

To avoid jail, David and Neil told the government they were shooting a love story. During production they faced cancelled locations, threatened actors, stolen footage, and even multiple summons by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

David and Neil hid the true nature of their film until the last shooting day when they filmed their finale scene: a fictional uprising against the oligarch, with nearly 400 Moldovans protesting in front of Moldova’s main government building.

In such a tiny country, word spreads fast, and stories about the staged revolution made it to news outlets that weren’t controlled by the oligarch. The next morning, Neil smuggled the footage out of the country in a van to Romania while David boarded a flight back to America.

Just 6 months later, partially inspired by what Neil and David had done, the Moldovan people really did stand up to the oligarch, and he and his partner oligarch fled the country on their private jets. They are now wanted criminals in Moldova, and David and Neil are proud to debut the film that helped oust them from power.

On July 4th, 2024, “Stampila” had its theatrical premier in Moldova’s capital city, a city they once had to sneak their film out of.

The film is currently showing in Moldovan theaters and has received a great response from the audience.