Cannes Russian Pavilion Highlights Leading Russian Studios New Titles As Part Of ROSKINO New Projects Showcase

ROSKINO will put the focus on Russian cinema, with a week-long showcase, presented by Central Partnership, Mars Media Entertainment and AMEDIA Productions to unveil the most anticipated new projects, two epic blockbusters, coming out of Russia over the next year.

The presentations will be held from 18th – 25th May at the Russian Pavilion, #N139, giving distributors, sales agents, international festival programmers, and press their first taste of a selection of Russia's latest films, including today's showcase of large-scale epic blockbuster FURIOUS on Friday 19 May at 2.30PM, and war-time adventure T-34, to be held on Tuesday 23 May at 3PM.

Pavel Stepanov, Central Partnership CEO, and Dzhanik Fayziev, General Producer at Film Studio KIT, will be on-hand to introduce their large-scale epic blockbuster, FURIOUS and reveal new footage which showcases the film's high-quality visual effects.

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Set in the 13th century Kievan Rus', the film is the first historical epic to tell of the action-packed martial exploits undertaken by the Ryazan military leader, Evpatii Kolovrat. Evpatii, a knight from the town of Ryazan, leads the charge in this explosive blockbuster to avenge his love and his Motherland with a platoon of daredevils behind him.

Mr Fayziev comment: "We made an impassioned, energetic, and action-packed film - an incredibly tender, awe-inspiring tale of indomitable courage. As we blended history with the present day, and fantasy with realism, we set our movie amidst virginal Russian nature to tell an emotional and touching story of simple folk who become true heroes when burdened with unanticipated circumstances."

The film, which is currently in post-production, marks a big-screen debut for director Ivan Shurkhovetskiy, who had previously worked in television. Another promising newcomer is Ilya Malakov, who played the part of Evpatii Kolovrat. The casting directors had been auditioning actors for several months, looking for an unfamiliar face, who was perfectly in keeping with the traditional image of a folktale Russian warrior.

Visual effects for the film are managed by Main Road Post, the computer graphics studio behind the Sochi Olympics opening ceremony in 2014, and such blockbusters as Stalingrad and Attraction.

Mr Stepanov said: "I'm so happy that we made a big, spectacular, world-class Russian movie. We're proud of our history and our heroes, as well as of the top-shelf computer graphics. We're glad to have the chance to present this project at Cannes six months ahead of its wide release, because we have full confidence in its commercial potential both at home and abroad."

FURIOUS is scheduled to come out in Russia on November 30, 2017.

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Production outfits Mars Media and AMEDIA Production, will showcase their new project on Tuesday 23 May at 3.00PM, as they continue to make their mark in the world of global filmmaking. Producers Ruben Dishdishyan, Leonard Blavatnik and Nelly Yaralova will unveil their war-themed action film, T-34. Written and directed by Aleksey Sidorov (Brigada, Shadowboxing), the action-adventure film begins in 1941 in the heat of the Volokolamsk battle, when Ivushkin, a lieutenant fresh from the military academy, stands up alone against a dozen German tanks, only to be captured. Three years later he creates an audacious escape plan to ride the legendary T-34 once more, facing an armada of German Panthers and the Third Reich.

The Cannes presentation will be a pivotal moment for the film's international promotion, with the first batch of visual materials, meant to demonstrate the scope of the production, to be revealed during the showcase.

Mars Media CEO Ruben Dishdishyan commented: "We have now made five movies with Aleksey Sidorov, and I count him among the most gifted writers and directors in the nation.  Between Aleksey's first pitch and the first day of shooting, three years had elapsed. All this time, we kept on perfecting the screenplay."

Producer Nelly Yaralova said: "We have no doubts about the commercial prospects of T-34, AMEDIA's first venture into film. It's an incredible story, and the action scenes are simply phenomenal. The first-rate screenplay was written by Aleksey Sidorov, a professional whose movies are always equal parts craft and heart and is co-produced by Leonard Blavatnik of Hacksaw Ridge."

Mr Blavatnik said: "For me, T-34 is more than a perfectly conceived adventure flick. My Grandfather was a WWII veteran, and that great victory is part of our family lore. Out of many options, I picked this project for personal reasons, among others. Of course, other factors were taken into account as well, such as the best young actors, a first-rate crew, and the stellar résumé of our partners, Mars Media and Ruben Dishdishyan in particular."

T-34 is currently shooting and is expected to be released in Russia in 2018.

ROSKINO's CEO Katya Mtsitouridze said of the presentations: "We are thrilled to host two fantastic production studios, each making a considerable impression on the international marketplace, finding success by marrying Russian artistic sensibilities with ambitious globally-appealing product. We look forward to introducing their upcoming projects to the world."

For further information on ROSKINO, please visit www.roskino.org 

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