News

"To the Lake" is a post-apocalyptic Netflix show that focuses on the collapse of society after a deadly virus infects Moscow. The series explores the breakdown of social norms and the reactions of individuals and groups to the loss of civilization. Similar to other post-apocalyptic shows, "To the Lake" is thought-provoking, thrilling, and showcases compelling human reactions to unimaginable disasters.

To the Lake is a post-apocalyptic Netflix show, and there are plenty of similar series based around collapsing societies and worldwide catastrophes. Originally released in 2019 on the Russian channel Premier, Netflix acquired To the Lake and released it in October 2020. To the Lake season 1 is based on Yana Vagner's novel Vongozero, and depicts the residents of Moscow after a deadly virus infects their city. As the disease spreads, Moscow is quarantined, chaos reigns, and Sergey (Kirill Käro), his lover Anna (Viktoriya Isakova), his ex-wife Irina (Maryana Spivak), his father...

Paris-based outfit Reel Suspects has acquired “The Three,” directed by up-and-coming Armenian-Russian filmmaker Anna Melikyan. “The Three” will have its international premiere at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and will be distributed in Russia by Disney in December.

Penned by Melikyan and Evgenia Khripkova, “The Three” revolves around a husband, a wife and another woman.

The cast is headlined by local stars Konstantin Khabenskiy, Viktoriya Isakova, and Yulia Peresild, a young Moscow theater actor. Melikyan produced the film through her banner Magnum film company, along with Natella Krapivina and Artem Vasilyev.

“We are really exited to work on Anna’s most recent work. A subtle romance driven by an amazing cast and signed by a wonderful cinematographic camera work. Festivals and buyers will fall surely under the charm,” said Matteo Lovadina, the CEO of Reel Suspects, who will start selling the film at the American Film Market, which kicks off Monday.

In the weeks following the inaugural edition of the Key Buyers Event, a showcase for new Russian productions held in Moscow last fall, Roskino CEO Evgenia Markova reached out to scores of international guests who had made the trip to the Russian capital. After what was largely perceived as a successful event, in which dozens of Russian titles sold to foreign buyers, Markova wanted to understand what else the film promotion body could do to support the continued growth of the Russian industry.

One piece of advice stood out. “Not many Russian names are known abroad,” says Markova. The consensus among many of the buyers in attendance was that “this is definitely what [Roskino] should work on: you should promote your actors, your producers, your directors. You should show the world you exist.”

For the Key Buyers Event: Digital Edition, an online platform to showcase and promote Russian content that takes...

The Student, which is translated on screen as “The Disciple” (an interpretation far more fitting, although the Russian word used is also close to “Martyr”) is, if nothing else, an intensely frustrating film. Directed with the subtlety of a shotgun by Kirill Serebrennikov and shot with a formally energetic approach full of vim and vigor by Vladislav Opelyants, it is a film which actually has the force and rigor to take on the thorny subject of religious fundamentalism. But even if it is visually up to the task, The Student is hobbled by its script and hog tied by its characters.

A screed against religion, or to be more precise, the fundamental devotion to a religious text, in this case The Bible, The Student is a film with the potential for great satire and importance, grounded in the decision to show a conviction towards the text not often seen on...