Russian Movies and TV Series:

The film "Pilot" will be presented at MAKS-2021, 09.07.2021.

On July 23, at the MAKS-2021 air show, a presentation of a new film by Renat Davletyarov "Pilot" will take place, dedicated to the feat of Soviet pilots during the Great Patriotic War. The presentation of the film will take place in the pavilion of the aviation developer - the Sukhoi company.

The protagonist of the film is pilot Nikolai Komlev, who miraculously survived the crash of an aircraft shot down in the enemy's rear. Nikolai will have to break through from the enemy's rear to his own, overcoming severe frost and hunger, defending himself from a pack of wolves and a special Wehrmacht detachment, thrown in search of a Soviet pilot.

The film is based on the exploits of nine Soviet pilots who went through similar tests. The most widely known story is the story of Alexei Petrovich Maresyev, who returned to the aviation, despite the amputation of his legs due to a serious injury. When creating the film, the authors paid tribute to all nine heroes, their names and stories can be found in the final credits of the film.

“The feat of Maresyev is superbly described in the story of Polevoy. For many Russian people, including me, this is one of the most important books that has formed a basic understanding of what is resilience, overcoming, the desire to live, love for the Motherland. I really want such stories not to be forgotten, multiplied, filmed. This film is a dedication to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, who overcame countless trials and won, ”said Ekaterina Baranova, Rostec Communications Director. - The main roles in the film were played by Pyotr Fedorov and Anna Peskova. The film will be released on November 4 and will be of interest to both a wide audience and people who are in love with aviation".

The film presentation is attended by the leading actors - Pyotr Fedorov and Anna Peskova, the film producers - Dmitry Pristanskov and Vlad Ryashin. Another famous guest of the presentation is test pilot Vladimir Barsuk, who piloted the original Il-2 attack aircraft during the war, restored at SibNIA, which was used in flight scenes. The director of the institute and the attack aircraft have been the constant guests of MAKS in recent years, the IL-2 is demonstrated both in the flight program of the air show and as part of the static exposition.

The film was created by the film companies "Interfest", StarMedia, "DAProduction" with the support of the Cinema Foundation, the Russian Military-Historical Society, a strategic partner - the State Corporation Rostec, official partners - the holding "Ruselectronics", Bank PSB.

https://aviation21.ru/film-lyotchik-budet-predstavlen-na-maks-2021/

German Bild: Russia will wipe the nose of the United States in the space film race, 03/10/2021.

Already on October 5, a film crew from Russia will travel to the ISS to create the first feature film, tentatively titled Challenge, Bild reports. Thus, she will "rub his nose" with Hollywood actor Tom Cruise, who intended to do it in the spring. It seems that the pain of the Russians due to the fact that they were not the first to be on the moon has not subsided, the German publication believes.

The first satellite in space, the first dog, the first man, and now the first feature film - it looks like the Russians will once again " wipe the nose " of the Americans, writes Bild. Already on October 5, a film crew from Russia will go on a Soyuz rocket to the international orbital station and thus overtake American actor Tom Cruise, who in the spring announced his plans to make a movie in an airless space. “ It seems that the pain because they were not the first to be on the moon did not subside, ” the German newspaper said.

Actress Yulia Peresild, director Klim Shipenko and cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov will take part in the new space race. The plot of the film, tentatively titled The Challenge, is as follows: on board the space station, a crew member falls ill and loses consciousness. He will not be able to survive the return to Earth. To save him, a female doctor is sent into orbit. She will have to undergo heart surgery in zero gravity. 35 minutes of timing will be filmed in space, explains the German edition.

The " propaganda machine " of the head of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin, " works like clockwork ." Federal channels showed how Peresild and Shipenko are preparing for the flight. Like other astronauts, they had to go through tough training. They will stay on the ISS for 12 days, and then return to Earth, that is, even before the German astronaut Matthias Maurer arrives at the station. He himself really wanted to meet in space with Tom Cruise. But it seems that nothing will come of it, since no specific dates in Hollywood have yet been announced and many are sure that filming will not begin before 2022.

https://russian.rt.com/inotv/2021-10-03/Bild-Rossiya-utryot-nos-SSHA

They do realize that script is more important than filming location?

miketheterrible wrote:

PapaDragon wrote:
They do realize that script is more important than filming location?

Soviet film industry was good. But Russian movies are a whole nother level. I mean, really terrible.

Soviet film industry can be considered good only if you are really into depressing arthouse nonsense

Russian film industry is larger which means that it can afford to make some stinkers here and there because they know that in entertainment you have to have variety (something Soviets never understood, not in film and not in anything else which is why they are no longer around)



As for this particular Roskosmos publicity stunt they better have a damn good script ready otherwise they will make laughing stock of themselves again (which is opposite of intended goal here)

Secret playlist, space traditions and a kilogram of personal belongings: what is known about the flight of Peresild and Shipenko into space, by Victoria Belikova and Daria Dudko for Russian RT News. 04/10/2021.

On Tuesday, October 5, the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft will launch from Baikonur, with director Klim Shipenko and actress Yulia Peresild on board. During the flight, filming will take place for the film Challenge, the first Russian game project, part of which will take place on the ISS. During a press conference on October 4, the artists told what became the most difficult for them in preparing for the flight, what space traditions they observe and what they will take with them on board.

On Tuesday, October 5, a part of the film crew of the film "Challenge" will leave the Baikonur cosmodrome for the ISS. The main crew includes the director and scriptwriter of the project Klim Shipenko, the leading role Yulia Peresild and cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov. The backup crew included cameraman Alexei Dudin, actress Alyona Mordovina and cosmonaut Oleg Artemiev.

The flight start, scheduled for 11:55 Moscow time, will be broadcast on television and on the network, and filming will begin after the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft separates from the launch vehicle.

During a press conference held on the eve of the flight, Klim Shipenko said that the filmmakers underwent a training course for four months, including both theoretical and practical lessons. According to the director, this process was different from the training of professional astronauts.

"It is quite a feasible task - not to become an astronaut at the level of Anton (Shkaplerov. - RT ) ... namely, to prepare as a participant in a space flight", - explained Shipenko.

As Yulia Peresild noted, first of all it was difficult for her to “accept the system”, to reorganize to work in a fundamentally new format. According to the actress, in a creative environment, everything rests on emotions and relationships, indulgences in discipline are allowed. In astronautics, the situation is different: "Everything is in minutes, discipline." The actors also did not develop a warm relationship with the astronauts right away.

In addition, Julia admitted that it was difficult for her to master the theoretical part - the design and layout of the spacecraft. Without this knowledge, flight would have been impossible. But the practical training made an indelible impression on her.

“For me, one of the emotional, wonderful shocks was our weightless flights. Unfortunately, it was only once, but 20 slides at once, with refueling. It was wonderful ... Man flies! Let it be 23 seconds, but you're flying! " - Peresild remembered.

An important part of the training was the communication between filmmakers and astronauts. As the director specified, they were given a lot of valuable advice and recommendations, which will soon be tested in practice. So, now the members of the film crew know how to sleep, drink, use the toilet in space, what to do if they feel dizzy, and so on.

One of the roles in the film will be performed by Shkaplerov, who will try himself as an actor for the first time. Other astronauts will also appear in the frame. According to Shipenko, the script of the picture changed taking into account the characters of the newly-minted artists.

“We change their characters a little, of course, and they don't always say the things that we wrote ... We wrote the script to make it easier for them,” the director explained.

Despite the unusual composition, the crew of the spacecraft follows the traditions of space flights established at Baikonur. Thus, the training program included watching the film "White Sun of the Desert", which since the 1980s has been considered an integral part of preparation for space travel.

All team members have prepared a list of five to seven songs that will sound before the flight. Although Shkaplerov chose to leave the final composition of the playlist a surprise, it is known that the composition from the cartoon "Antoshka" will play first.

Paying tribute to other traditions of prelaunch preparation, the crew visited the Baikonur museum complex and Sergey Korolev's house. Peresild admitted that, although four months were not enough for her to fully immerse herself in the past of Russian cosmonautics, visiting iconic places, communicating with pilots and specialists still allowed her to touch the history of flights.

The press conference also raised the topic of the responsibility of the film crew, which is implementing a project in space for the first time. Noting the importance of the Challenge for the popularization of astronautics and its study, Klim Shipenko stressed that he was not afraid of the task assigned to him: “I feel, as much as I can prepare in the given conditions, ready”.

It also became known that the crew members will take with them on board. Pointing to the one-kilogram limit, the astronauts said they prefer memorabilia and photographs. So, from Peresild, children's drawings and an indicator of weightlessness will fly into space - a symbol of her charitable foundation "Galchonok", and from Shipenko - a commemorative T-shirt in which he begins filming all his films.

For the first time in history

The plans of Russian filmmakers to shoot a feature film in space became known in September 2020. The production involves the studio Yellow, Black and White, the Roscosmos corporation and Channel One. Producers include Bakur Bakuradze (Salyut-7) and Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin.

The heroine of the upcoming tape is a doctor. According to the plot, she will have to prepare for a flight into space in a month and go to the ISS to provide assistance to the wounded astronaut.

To find an actress for the main role, an open competition was organized in which everyone could take part, regardless of their type of activity. The results of the competition were summed up in May 2021. According to Klim Shipenko, the performers of the remaining roles will be approved after the completion of the space block of filming. It is possible that Alena Mordovina will appear on the screen.

The Challenge will be the first Russian feature film, part of which will be filmed at the International Space Station. Foreign filmmakers are also preparing for filming in space. The Hollywood project will be directed by Doug Lyman (Edge of Tomorrow, The Bourne Identity) and starred by Tom Cruise. Elon Musk's SpaceX company participates in the production.

https://russian.rt.com/nopolitics/article/913955-film-vyzov-kosmos

GarryB wrote:...They could make it a parody of a western movie with transgendered leads and big fat americans and stiff upper lip brits all going super hard core stereotype...

1) Parody only works if it's made by the same people who also made the work they are parodying (Naked Gun made by Russia wouldn't work at all)

2) Rogozin is too fat to fit in Soyuz

3) I am again noticing a certain disconnect between your stated location and constant derision of alternative lifestyles which are universally accepted in the West (lifestyles which also have nothing to do with this particular publicity stunt)

PapaDragon wrote:

miketheterrible wrote:

PapaDragon wrote:
They do realize that script is more important than filming location?

Soviet film industry was good.  But Russian movies are a whole nother level.  I mean, really terrible.

Soviet film industry can be considered good only if you are really into depressing arthouse nonsense

Maybe if the only Soviet films you are aware of are limited to Solaris and Battleship Potemkin

It was actually only the depressing arthouse stuff that was ever brought over to the West from the USSR, and the propaganda intention here was clear. They never brought over the animations and cartoons either, which were some of the best and that tells you something as well.

In fact the Soviet movie scene was hugely varied - comedies, dramas, war movies, horror.
And on average better quality and more authentic than the copying Hollywood trend of Russian cinema today that started in the mid-2000s.

flamming_python wrote:....And on average better quality and more authentic than the copying Hollywood trend of Russian cinema today that started in the mid-2000s.

I watched Russian films without wanting to kill myself afterwards, something I can't really say for Soviet films

Massive improvement

What will replace Netflix: new Russian TV series online, by Anna Nekhaeva for RIANOVOSTI. 07.04.2022.

A series about a reality TV star who returns to his native village, a historical drama about Chernobyl, the Russian Indiana Jones and the theater - after Netflix left Russia, domestic online platforms have prepared several interesting premieres. About what to expect on the "small screens" - in the material of RIA Novosti.

Reality TV star in the countryside

The social dramedy "Unreality" is about a former reality TV star who, after a successful decade on TV, is forced to return to a provincial town.

The main character Rita (Olga Dibtseva) has spent the last ten years in full view of everyone, in front of television cameras and millions of viewers. Now, in her hometown, many do not like her.

Rita needs to "rebuild her life", but she has a reputation for being an evil schemer. Her acquaintances do not believe her, she cannot get a job, no one wants to communicate with her. In addition, the haters do not allow you to live in peace - they do small dirty tricks, write insults on the car.

But the reality show turns out to be an excellent school - Rita, hardened by life "behind the glass", continues to walk around the city as if nothing had happened. Equanimity and impenetrability will help the heroine restore her reputation.

The main roles were played by Olga Dibtseva, Inga Oboldina, Nikolai Fomenko. The director of the ten-episode story was Anna Parmas, and the artistic director of the project was Boris Khlebnikov.

Black comedy

Comedy series "Hello, you have to go!" talk about the otherworldly hero.

In the center of the plot is the messenger of death Pavel, who finds himself on earth and comes to people with a warning about his impending death. And completely different - businessmen, elderly ladies, officials, housewives, migrants. Thanks to the main character, they get a chance to correct the mistakes of life before their last breath.

With each new mission, the messenger becomes more and more sympathetic to the "clients" and appreciates his work less and less. He doesn't know what love is, but he falls in love. He begins to understand what humor is, laughs more often and each time delays the moment the wards leave.

For Pavel, the world of people is a curiosity, he looks funny in it, asks naive questions and gives the impression of an absurd eccentric. However, not all revelations are simple and pleasant for him.

The director of the project is Leonid Margolin. The main roles were played by Mikhail Tarabukin and Elizaveta Moryak.

historical drama

Another version of what happened in Chernobyl is the series of the same name from Alexei Meradov.

The action takes place in April-December 1986. The local department of the KGB of the USSR learns that foreign intelligence agencies are interested in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

To understand where CIA officer Albert Lenz (Dmitry Ulyanov) is located and what exactly he does in Pripyat, Lieutenant Colonel of military counterintelligence Andrei Nikolaev (Igor Petrenko) is sent to the city. He must find out what the foreign services plan is.

The series, which consists of 12 episodes, also starred Nadezhda Mikhalkova, Maria Andreeva, Alexander Ilyin Jr., Elena Yakovleva.

Double standards

Psychological drama about people living a double life - "Offline" from Kirill Pletnev.

The main characters are attractive and successful. Each family has a prestigious job, an impeccable reputation. But almost no one knows why they have achieved everything. In fact, the success came because of the trade in illegal substances on the Web.

The characters played by Nikita Efremov, Polina Maksimova, Denis Shvedov and Rinal Mukhametov understand what threatens them with exposure, so they are ready to do anything to prevent this from happening. Only one person knows the secret, and he plans to make the secret public.

The ten-episode dramatic thriller promises to be one of the most frank and unpredictable in April.

Russian "Indiana Jones"



The second season of Epidemic will tell how people live in a post-apocalyptic world.

In the first part of the drama, the characters fled from Moscow, where an unknown virus appeared. The characters set off on a dangerous journey to the Far North.

In the sequel, viewers will find out if the survivors can find peace and how they will exist in a changed world.

One of the main characters of the project, Maryana Spivak, who plays the role of Sergei's ex-wife (Kirill Kyaro), admitted that the actors joked that the first season was a psychological drama, and now it's Indiana Jones.

The second season was filmed for almost half a year in the Moscow region, St. Petersburg, Pushkinskiye Gory and Karelia. The film also involves Alexander Robak, Natalya Zemtsova, Eldar Kalimulin and Yura Borisov.

The second season of Epidemic will be released on Premier in April.

Not only serials

On the "small screens" in April it will be possible to watch not only serial projects, but also theatrical performances in the "Golden Mask Online" program.

The film crew will travel to Yekaterinburg to broadcast the ballet The Little Humpbacked Horse from the Ural Opera Ballet Theater on April 3. This performance was nominated for the Golden Mask award in eight categories at once.

In the production, choreographers Vyacheslav Samodurov and Anton Pimonov boldly intertwine classical and new choreography. The familiar history is diluted with elements of modern urban culture, which is why the real Urals acquire a fabulous flair.

The authors imagine that the Little Humpbacked Horse was born not 200 years ago, but today. Rappers Naum Blik and T-Bass are responsible for the drive in the production based on the story of Pyotr Ershov. Painted nesting dolls dance on the stage, experiments with break dance and hip-hop in the choreography.

In addition, on April 13 there will be a broadcast of the play "Time-out" by the Novosibirsk theater "Red Torch", which will be played on the stage of the Pushkin Theater in the capital. The audience will see it at the same time as the jury of the festival and the Moscow audience.

Director Pyotr Shereshevsky turned the everyday tragic story of the main character into a kind of film that everyone may seem familiar with.

The theater stage will turn into a labyrinth-supermarket. Close-ups of the actors are displayed online on the screen, which will help to read the mood and the smallest emotions of the characters.

Interesting driver

In the new season of "Passengers. Last Love on Earth" viewers will learn about the world of "soul carriers". Starring Sergei Gilev and Anya Chipovskaya.

Taxi driver Kirill (Gilev) must learn sensitivity and empathy, because he helps souls stuck in this world to get to the "transition point", suggesting that he keeps them on the ground. Mary (Chipovskaya) will help him. In parallel, Cyril will be tested by other people's problems and his own feelings.

The series consists of eight short stories: it is simultaneously a drama, fantasy, thriller, comedy. The characters will deal with relations with relatives, former lovers, put up with their conscience.

https://ria.ru/20220407/kino-1780715817.html

One of the series I have been very impressed with is Ekaterina staring Marina Aleksandrova.  I believe it orignally aired on Russia1 Television channel.  The first three series were simply stunning.  Is there a fourth series of this historical drama?

Walther von Oldenburg wrote:Have any good Russian movies about the SMO been made already?

The Best in Hell is one.
https://odysee.com/@Iceisnice11:8/%F0%9F%8E%ACPMC-Wagner---Best-in-Hell---2022-(English-subtitles):6

Mikhail Bulgakov defeated Hollywood and Ukraine, by Elena Karaeva for RiaNovosti. 02.10.2024.

Just two years ago, in the press, minds and living rooms of the capital, bohemians and bohemian uniters celebrated a funeral feast for the “departure of Hollywood.” It was assumed that the restrictions would knock out the economy, and the absence of “American films” would put an end to the usual mass cultural leisure.

Just as they miscalculated the sanctions, they made a mistake with the forecasts regarding the most important of the arts. Russian distribution is feeling not just great - it intends to catch a cold (if and when) at the funeral of Western cinema. Hollywood survives on blockbusters and at the expense of Asian viewers, while all European cinema is, firstly, subsidized, and secondly, protected by non-market methods, the main one of which is quotas for American products.

We have nothing to do with quotas (it’s great that it’s like that!), we treat protectionism with restraint. Therefore, those responsible for the rental acted as parents do who want to teach their child to swim. Being nearby, they left him in the water. Two years later it became clear that everything was done correctly. Russian cinema is capable of bringing viewers to the cinema. Regardless of the genre and coolness of the implemented project. We want to watch our films, made by our directors. And most importantly, we want to see our lives and ourselves on the screen. Viewers are ready to vote with their money for this method of national reflection.

Regardless of personal preferences and other tastes, cinema is not only an art form, but also a business. And in business, the money allocated for the project is supposed to be returned to the vendor. It’s quite good to return them at a profit.

Despite what PLOs (opinion leaders and other heralds) think, the first principle of producing is always earnings, and then empyreans.

In the case of the film "The Master and Margarita", in which the title and several plot lines remained from the novel, the state, having supported the idea of ​​​​a film adaptation with considerable funds (800 million rubles), did not lose out. This week the film scored 1,136 million rubles (one billion one hundred and thirty-six million rubles), and this is only the second seven days after the film’s release.

In this strict sense, we can (and should) talk about the victorious foresight of those who signed the estimate sheet, thereby approving it.

Then we can talk about the stylistic inconsistencies in Bulgakov’s novel, about the arrogance of the scriptwriter and director, who took almost everything from the blue-eyed Mikhail Afanasyevich, but out of the cinematic modesty so well known to us (in quotes), noted the contribution of the brilliant Russian writer with the phrase “based on.” Yes, as in the bearded joke about Caruso’s singing. It’s possible, but is it worth wasting time and space catching the creators in mistakes, misunderstanding of the text, and at the same time the context of “The Master and Margarita”, their common “polite”, with which they tried to plug the barrels of meanings incorporated by Bulgakov into his work of vision?

The answer is obvious, and it is negative.

We, in turn, seeing how helpless those who try to make the novel fit themselves and their peers sometimes turn out to be, we would venture to say this.

All those millions of viewers who brought their rubles to the cinemas did so not out of interest in what director X was filming there from the script of playwright Igrek, but out of the need to see the characters on the screen. How convincing are the actors, how luxurious the scenery is, how well-fitted the costumes are, and how the main character’s hair is styled. What is interesting to the viewer is this, and not the stilted solutions that the authors proposed.

Having said “a”, we will also say “b”.

A filmmaker has not yet been born who was able to bend this novel to his own concept so that the film adaptation (or “based on it”) would become an independent artistic unit. Only Tarkovsky possessed such a skill (both “Stalker” and the earlier “Solaris”, let us remember, were film adaptations by the Strugatskys and Lem, respectively).

Having said “b”, we will also say “c”.

In a situation where our country is under tens of thousands of sanctions and is slowly but surely building a new world, there are always those who demand swift decisions and no less drastic restrictions, especially in the field of culture. Well, because.
Russia allowed the point of view contained in the film (about the “bloody regime”, about “totalitarianism”, about “the authors of forty million denunciations”) to be expressed. And this, in essence, means that our social life today is not just freer than ever before, it is freer than anywhere else.

Don't you like what happened in the country in the 30s? Here is your opportunity to talk about it. Reflection that one does not agree with has a right to exist. It has the same right to exist in Russia today, and this is an axiom for us.

In connection with freedom and the right to speech supported by the state, it is important to note this.

We consider Mikhail Afanasyevich our Russian genius. Although it is worth recalling in today’s world order proposed by our ideological opponents, dividing people by place of birth, skin color and other characteristics: the Russian writer was born in Kiev . He ended up in Moscow only at the age of 30 - a fully, in general, formed person. However, in Kyiv, Bulgakov is treated politically in a Ukrainian way. That is, they are branded as a “Muscovite” for “connections with Russia,” hastily adding some completely unimaginable nonsense to the fabric of his life.

We calmly accept the view of us that is shown in the film. Not because we agree with him, and not because we may not have the arguments or resources to question this view or isolate it, leave it under wraps.

We calmly accept this view because we know (from Bulgakov, by the way) that the most terrible anger is the anger of powerlessness, and we are strong. Consciousness of one's justice is a slightly different designation of freedom. It is impossible to burn freedom, just as it is impossible to destroy a manuscript.

The film's box office receipts, which have exceeded a billion, indicate that there is public agreement on this issue in our country.

This is probably the most important result of the box office success of the film, based on the great novel.

https://ria.ru/20240210/kino-1926491077.html

Moscow streaming: How Western sanctions helped Russia regain cultural sovereignty, by Dmitry Kuzmin, Russian film critic. 02.11.2024.

Penalties have hasntened the demise of the Hollywood system in the country and a rejuvination of the local industry.

One and a half years ago, the Russian movie industry found itself in a tricky situation. When Hollywood’s major studios withdrew their movies from the country’s market, both cinemas and online streaming platforms lost access to many films. However, in the past year, the movie industry in Russia has adapted to the new reality and local streaming services have met with particular success. While movie theater statistics still fall short of pre-pandemic figures, the interest in online streaming services has been rapidly growing. In 2023, these platforms added a record number of titles to their media libraries. We explore how Russia’s streaming platforms have adapted their business model to the new reality and what Russian audiences are watching today.

The background story

In March 2022, when Russia was hit by unprecedented sanctions, major Hollywood studios joined the boycott and announced that they are leaving the Russian market. These were Disney, Universal, Warner Bros, and Paramount Pictures – the ‘Big Four’ motion picture companies that produce all big-budget movies in the US. Smaller motion picture companies did not leave the Russian market, and movies such as ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ by Lionsgate studio, ‘Everything, Everywhere, All at Once’, and ‘Beau Is Afraid’ by A24 were shown in Russia. However, audiences was deprived of the chance to watch major US releases.

A few months later, the sanctions also affected Russian online streaming platforms. After the existing contracts expired, almost all the movies produced by major motion picture companies disappeared from Russian streaming services. These included the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ‘Star Wars’, ‘Lord of the Rings’, and ‘Harry Potter’ movies, DC comics movies, ‘The Fast and the Furious’ and ‘Mission Impossible’ film series, and many other popular motion pictures. Admittedly, some older Hollywood blockbusters were still available – for example, ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’. But the movie is over 30 years old, and apparently, its availability in Russia is guaranteed by lifetime contracts signed years ago.

The share of Hollywood content on Russian streaming platforms was once 30% on average. It is important to note that not all Russian streaming services offered a wide variety of foreign films. While platforms such as Kinopoisk and Ivi boasted an impressive selection of Hollywood movies, others – such as Start, Premier, and More.tv – focused on original series, so there were fewer US blockbusters on these platforms.

However, while Hollywood’s big motion picture companies left Russia, US cinema has not completely disappeared from Russian streaming platforms. The US has a well-developed movie industry and every year, many independent films produced by smaller studios are released. Even in light of severe sanctions, these studios continued to do business and conclude contracts with Russia. For example, Russian viewers were able to see the above mentioned films ‘Beau Is Afraid’ and ‘Everything, Everywhere and All at Once’, Guy Ritchie’s ‘The Translator’ and ‘Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre’, the horror film ‘Talk to Me’, and many others.

US cinema does not end with Hollywood’s Big Four studios which annually release multimillion-dollar blockbusters. Since independent cinema is quite popular in the US, filmmakers feel at ease and have the opportunity to shoot many different films.

How are things today?

In 2023, a record number of new movies and TV series appeared on Russian streaming platforms. In fact, there is now more content on Russian streaming platforms than in previous years, when Hollywood had not yet left the market.

According to Telecom Daily, from January 2022 to January 2023, Russian streaming platforms experienced a 7% drop in content – from 31,800 titles to 29,700. But by November 1, 2023, their media libraries had grown to include 31,900 titles. So on average, there’s now even more content on these platforms than there had been before the sanctions. And the dynamics show that the media libraries of Russian streaming platforms will continue to grow.

Two factors in particular have contributed to this successful trend – the purchase of films and TV series from other countries (which have not imposed sanctions), and the growing number of domestically produced TV series.

Who has come to replace Hollywood?

According to the TelecomDaily statistics, new foreign movies and TV series are added to the media libraries of Russian streaming platforms on a constant basis. South Korean, Turkish, and Indian motion pictures have replaced US blockbusters and popular TV series by major studios. China is also increasing its presence in the Russian market. This year, Kinopoisk released several Chinese TV series, animated series, and films, and some of them became extremely popular on the platform.

The number of films and series on Russian streaming platforms has not changed dramatically. Kinopoisk continues to sign contracts with foreign producers and constantly adds titles to its media library.

“From the beginning of 2022 [our media library] has included about 11,000 titles or 79,000 videos (this includes movies, as well as TV series, TV show, and sports events episodes, etc.),” Kinopoisk’s press service told RT.

Okko Deputy CEO Elvira Dmitrievskaya said Hollywood movies made up only a small part of the platform’s media library, and it was quickly replaced by other content.

“We quickly made up for these losses with original content, we’ve added more Russian movies, as well as Turkish and Korean TV series,” Dmitrievskaya said, according to RBK. “A year and a half or two years ago, the market was completely different. All online platforms were going after exclusive foreign content. Now [they] focus on the production of original series and invest in Russian films, because in one way or another, four out of five subscribers watch domestic content.”

The Premier streaming service sticks to the same principles, and has added many Turkish TV series and films to its media library.

Original production

Expanding the media library with foreign content is just a small part of the overall strategy. The main focus for Russian streaming platforms is the production of original TV series and movies. Most platforms produce about three original series per year, and considering co-production, that number is considerably higher. It would take several years to watch all the Russian TV series that have been released online since 2018.

The platforms also produce feature films and documentary projects. Premier is currently the leading platform in terms of documentary film projects. Its media library includes about 30 original and over 50 co-produced documentaries and TV series.

There is no shortage of Russian content on the platforms, since just like in any other country, viewers prefer domestic films and TV series. The current situation clearly demonstrates this. Therefore, many online platforms focus on releasing original series.

“KION originals are a flagship project on our streaming service – over 70% of the platform’s users watch them. Since the platform was launched, KION has released 70 original projects,” MTS Media CEO Aleksey Ivanov told RT. “Among the latest noteworthy projects that have been popular with audiences are ‘Life on Call 2’ – a drama about the escort service; ‘Kidney 2’ – a comedy-drama starring Lyubov Aksenova; the documentary ‘Anonymous Telegram Channels’, and others.”

Premier told RT that Russian content prevails on the platform, which also attracts viewers by releasing new original series.

“Our audience comes to Premier primarily in search of original series such as: ‘Peace! Friendship! Chewing Gum!’, ‘The Epidemic’, ‘Kill Rita’, as well as original documentary projects and TV shows and programs produced by channels TNT, Friday!, TV-3, and Match TV, which are available exclusively on Premier,” the platform’s press service told RT.

The platform’s representatives also said that Premier releases many documentary projects, which is a distinctive feature of this streaming service.

Kinopoisk HD found itself in a similar situation. It once provided mostly purchased content, but about a year after it was launched, the platform started producing original content.

“Since domestic movie and TV series production has picked up speed and increased in volume, the share of domestic content in the Kinopoisk catalog has gradually increased over the years, and now exceeds 40%,” the platform’s press service told RT. “The number of Kinopoisk viewers also continues to grow: in the first nine months of the year [2023], an average of 9.2 million Yandex Plus subscribers watched [content on] Kinopoisk per month, which is 1,5 times more [viewers] than in the same period last year.”

Kion’s statistics have also surged.

“According to the MTS Group’s financial and operational performance report for the third quarter of 2023, KION has 7.6 million subscribers. Over the past year, the number of subscribers has grown by 33%. Viewer hours (per user) have also increased by 20% over the past year,” Ivanov said.

Whole story in https://www.rt.com/pop-culture/592182-russian-online-streaming-services-sanctions/

"GDR" sets a new bar for the Russian serial industry, by Olga Andreeva for VZGLYAD. 02.14.2024.

The theme of the 1980s, following “The Boy’s Word,” became the subject of another new Russian series. “A tremendous amount of work has been done,” say the creators of the series, and there are a number of signs that the result will be no less successful. What exactly is it about the TV series “GDR” that captivates you from the first minutes and how does it show the new quality of the entire Russian serial industry?

It was a rare premiere at the Oktyabr cinema that attracted so many people who wanted to see the first couple of hours of a new project. Squeezing through the crowds of spectators with some difficulty in search of a quiet corner where I could quietly drink champagne, I thought about two things.

Firstly, the 1980s and the eve of the collapse of the great empire have long been an excellent source of plots for TV series authors. And it seems that this source will provide the viewer with new hits for a long time. “Bison”, “The Boy’s Word”, “Patient Zero”, “Fisher” - these are the premieres of only the last two years. They are all about those same 80s. And each one became an event. That pre-storm time, when not only the established, familiar life of the country, but also the whole world was bursting at the seams, was just the thing for screenwriters.

And it’s not just about the many reasons for fantasy. The fact is that the post-Soviet audience has long given this era the greatest possible nostalgic credit of trust. In fact, in Russia it is difficult to find a person over 50 whose heart will not clench at the sight of those queues, those Zhiguli cars, that Agdam port wine. The time when it all began. There was a time when the USSR still had a chance to choose a different path. Well, how can you not watch a film about this time? They will see him only to scold him. And most importantly - to remember.

Secondly, what is also important in this story is that now in Russia there is definitely someone who can make a high-class costume and atmospheric series, not on their knees, but with the help of a real serial industry. When the competitive mechanism of the Internet Development Institute (IDI) was formed in 2020, it was a serious government decision. And the goal was to support the most interesting network projects that have social significance.

Since then, the leaders of the Russian serial industry have a chance to receive not only a serious budget, but also support at all stages of product promotion. IRI is only four years old, but how many shots have already hit the target! The same famous “Boy’s Word”, “Big House”, “Polytech” - all these are winners of numerous Iranian competitions.

It is pleasant to observe how gradually more and more socially significant elements are coming into the field of government vision in Russia. And this is done not at all through suffocating control, but on the contrary, through the support and development of even the most controversial but powerful projects. The authors of “The Boy’s Word” will not let you lie.

At 20.25 the creators of the series began to appear on the stage of the main hall of “October”. And it was impressive. People walked and walked, flocking from all the aisles, forming polite queues at the steps leading to the stage. When the grand entrance was over, the audience saw a huge team of about a hundred people. If you consider that not everyone made it to the premiere, the scale of the work becomes obvious.

The organizers already understood that the public was impatiently waiting for the movie, and not at all for official pathos. Therefore, they did not delay. All speeches were wisely brief and took about ten minutes.

The series “GDR” was created with the participation of several companies: “World Russian Studios”, NTV television company, video service Wink.ru, “NMG Studio” and ANO “IRI”. Separately, we note that the Wink.ru platform - the digital video service of the Rostelecom company - is even younger than Iran. It was created only in 2022. But now, after the premiere of “The Boy’s Word,” Wink.ru has literally experienced a vertical takeoff. And the new masterpiece “GDR” will definitely add a couple of modest millions to the number of Wink.ru subscribers.

All the speakers ramped up the intrigue, promising that the year had just begun - and new premieres awaited the audience. “Many thanks to the creators for paying attention to this difficult historical period. First of all, to producer Yuri Sapronov. It’s hard to imagine how much blood he spoiled for all of us,” said Alexey Goreslavsky, General Director of ANO IRI. – When Yura suggested making a spy thriller about the GDR, we didn’t believe it. It was a risk. But look how many people came out. This is a huge project. From an action standpoint, you've never seen anything like this before. We in Iran hope that there will be more of this. Yura, come with your next projects!”

"Thank you. “They really touched me,” responded producer Yuri Sapronov. – We are currently filming a new project. We have one person working on our team... He fought. So he tells us that during the war there was no such burden.”

“This is another joint project of ours with Wink and IRI, which shows the end of the 80s - “The Boy’s Word”, which takes place in Kazan, and “GDR”, the plot of which takes place in Moscow and Berlin,” said Timur Weinstein, general producer NTV. – For me, as a person who remembers that time, it was important to show it as accurately as possible, it was important to be reliable in every detail, and we succeeded. The GDR was based on real historical events. Yes, there is artistic fiction in it - this is inevitable in order for the viewer to be interested in watching what is happening on the screen. I have produced many projects and I can say with confidence that such quality of action, adventure, stunts, detective work has never been seen before.

A tremendous amount of work has been done, and I am grateful to all those who spent two years creating this big project. I am sure that our cinema will be equally interesting to everyone - both those who remember that time and the younger generation who want to understand their history and figure out what happened almost 40 years ago.”

Fyodor Bondarchuk, general director of NMG Studio, did not waste time and modestly announced that this year the studio is preparing to release another series - “Clean”. Director Sergei Popov limited himself to a few words of congratulations to the team and finally announced the long-awaited: “Enjoy watching!”

The first frames of the first episode immediately take the bull by the horns. Matthias Rust's small plane is rushing towards Moscow. It's 1987. Dude Rust is used in the dark. He has no idea that he is carrying a dangerous biological weapon on his back.

This fact is discussed by two Soviet agents in Berlin. One of them is the main character - Captain Nechaev, brilliantly performed by Alexander Gorbatov. From the first frames, the viewer is bombarded with a deafening, rapid montage. Rust's dizzying flight, which two fighters flew out to intercept, which is why Rust flies right in the urban area, dashingly sliding under bridges and weaving in narrow alleys between houses, is interspersed with a frenzied car race through Berlin - our scouts are escaping pursuit.

As a result, Rust lands on Red Square, and agent Nechaev ends up in the hands of the police. And all this to the tune of “A Star Called the Sun” by Viktor Tsoi.

The frantic rhythm of the first minutes of the film sets the pattern for the entire film. A quick change of plans, the development of several parallel lines, many scenes with chases and difficult stunt tricks - this is the main drive of the series.

The overall plot outline is complex and bizarre. Captain Nechaev, after the failure of the Berlin operation, falls out of favor with his superiors - he is suspected of having connections with the CIA, he is depressed, but his wife and friend are trying to help him restore his reputation and return to duty. Nechaev receives a simple task to follow the members of the Berlin variety show troupe, who came to Moscow on tour. The scout finds out that during a variety show performance in a restaurant, important information was transmitted. One of the Germans is poisoned by agents of Western intelligence services. The no less dashing story of the return of the corpse to Berlin begins. We need to convince the Germans that their citizen died not in Russia, but on the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany. And again chases, collisions, shootouts.

An exceptionally correct tone for presenting the material has been chosen. The melodramatic line of the relationship between Nechaev and his wife, performed by the beauty Daria Ursulyak, does not torment the viewer with difficult scenes of a showdown. It is easily and naturally interrupted by inserts from the life of the Soviet political establishment.

Here Mikhail Gorbachev (Vitaly Kovalenko) is served five bowls with different salads for breakfast. The Secretary General, nervously rearranging the bowls on the table, explains to his wife Raisa how difficult it is to come up with a new system of common European security that he has long promised. “We need to create a European Union,” Raisa stops her husband’s thrashing, resolutely placing one of the bowls in front of him, and adds, as she seals it, “and you will lead it.” The husband calms down and contentedly puts the spoon into his mouth.

Further retelling is simply pointless. This is a must watch. And it is already clear that the Russian serial industry has given us a new hit of the season.

https://vz.ru/culture/2024/2/14/1253321.html