News

Exclusive: ‘Peaky Blinders’ and ‘Gangs of London’ star Joe Cole and ‘True Spirit’ and ‘Titans’ actor Teagan Croft have both just wrapped contemporary neo-noir thriller Override, the fourth feature from directing duo Natasha Merkulova and Alexey Chupov. It marks the English-language debut for the Russian helmers, whose Captain Volkonogov Escaped played in Venice’s Competition strand in 2021.

Paris-based sales and production outfit Charades has boarded international sales for title, which was shot in L.A. in March, while AC Independent and WME Independent will co-represent North American rights for the film. The project will be launched to buyers in Cannes next month.

Override, which is currently in post-production, follows Ron Camp (Cole), a 31-year-old taxi driver in L.A. and Becca (Croft), his 16-year-old passenger, as they are plunged into a modern-day nightmare. Unaware of Ron’s identity as a spree killer, Becca becomes entangled in a series of terrifying events.

Powerhouse producers Valeriy Fedorovich and Evgeniy Nikishov, the creative duo behind Netflix’s first Russian original series, “Anna K,” quietly left 1-2-3 Production in early March and are now focused on their Moscow-based shingle MC2.

Though the announcement was formally made just days removed from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Fedorovich said the plan to leave the Gazprom-Media-backed production outfit had been set in motion long ago.

“When we set up our own company, it was clear that we [would] have to say goodbye to 1-2-3 Production,” Fedorovich told Variety. “We used to work for others; now we want to work for ourselves.”

As the co-heads of the Moscow-based outfit which they launched in 2018, Fedorovich and Nikishov were the creative force behind the plague thriller “To the Lake,” a series that made top 10 lists across the globe after it was acquired by Netflix, and wrapped production last year on...

The program announcements continue for the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival this week, with the full Panorama line-up now confirmed.

Adding to the initial titles unveiled back in April are films including Alain Guiraudie’s Nobody’s Hero, which opens the strand this year.

Also confirmed today were the titles that will participate in the Berlinale Series Market and Co-Pro Series event this year.

Taking part in Berlinale Series Market Selects will be The Fear Index, the upcoming show from Left Bank Pictures that is set to star Josh Hartnett, as well as projects from Keshet, Viaplay and Globo. See the full lists below.

Tomorrow, Berlin chiefs Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek will unveil the 2022 Competition line-up at an event that kicks off at 11Am Cet.

Panorama Additions:

Aşk, Mark ve Ölüm

Germany

by Cem Kaya

World premiere / Panorama Dokumente

Baqyt (Happiness)

Kazakhstan

by Askar Uzabayev

with Laura Myrzakhmetova,...

Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired North American rights to Stalin-era stylish thriller “Captain Volkonogov Escaped,” which world premiered in competition at Venice and earned stellar reviews.

Sold by Memento International, the film will have its North American premiere at the Chicago International Film Festival.

Penned and directed by Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov, the film stars rising Russian actor Yuri Borisov as Captain Volkonogov, a well-respected law enforcer in the former Soviet Union who witnesses his colleagues being suspiciously questioned. Sensing that his turn will soon come, he plans to escape, only to find his former colleagues hot on his tail. When the vulnerable Volkonogov gets a message from hell that he’ll be sentenced to eternal torment, he must find a way to repent. But time is running out and the manhunt is closing in on him.

Memento International has now sold “Captain Volkonogov Escaped” in most major markets,...

Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov, directorial duo behind the Venice title “Captain Volkonogov Escaped” – vying for a Golden Lion – thought about Jean-Paul Belmondo when creating their main character, a Ussr law enforcer who suddenly goes on the run and finds himself pursued by his former colleagues. The legendary French actor, known for “Breathless” and “Pierrot le Fou,” died on Sept. 6.

“In one of the earlier versions of the script, we even had a similar ending to ‘Breathless’. Then we changed it, but its spirit remained,” Chupov tells Variety in Venice after the film’s world premiere. “We grew up on his movies.”

The Russian-Estonian-French co-production, though set in 1938, is not a faithful take on the politically charged period, with the directors opting for a “retro-utopia” instead and, as they say, reinventing the past.

“Making a typical historical drama just wasn’t interesting to us. I know people who like making them,...

To get a sense of the frantic energy driving Russia’s booming film and TV industry these days, one need look no further than powerhouse producing duo Valeriy Fedorovich and Evgeniy Nikishov, who this week will take time off from shooting Netflix’s first original Russian drama series in Moscow to bow their latest feature film on the Lido.

It’s a reversal of fortune that the veteran producers couldn’t have scripted themselves even a decade ago. “For many years, Russia’s film industry existed in isolation from the global market – what chance did North American viewers, for example, have of screening a Russian TV show or film a few years ago?” says Nikishov. “The situation is radically different now. With the development of global platforms, we’ve been given a unique opportunity to become fully-fledged participants in the global film industry.”

That opportunity has been a long time coming for Russian filmmakers,...

Memento International has acquired the international sales rights to “Captain Volkonogov Escaped,” from Russian writing and directing duo Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov, which will world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival, Variety can reveal.

The film tells the story of the titular Captain Volkonogov, a well-respected and obedient law enforcer in the former Soviet Union, who witnesses his colleagues being suspiciously questioned. Sensing that his turn will soon come, he plans to escape, only to find his former colleagues hot on his tail. When the vulnerable and hopeless Volkonogov gets a message from hell that he’ll be sentenced to eternal torments, he must find a way to repent. But time is running out and the manhunt is closing in on him.

“Captain Volkonogov Escaped” features an all-star cast that includes Yuriy Borisov, who appeared in the Cannes competition titles “Compartment No. 6” and “Petrov’s Flu,” Timofey Tribuntsev...

Currently in production on the second season of “To the Lake,” a dark depiction of a world affected by a mysterious virus, which has gained worldwide popularity on Netflix, Moscow-based 1-2-3 Production is only just getting started. As Variety found out, the second season of “Call Center” is also in active development, with “Dreams of Alice,” an eight-episode series chosen for the Berlinale Series Market Selects in March, at a work-in-progress stage. Survival drama “The Big Game,” about a reality show gone wrong, is also in the works.

“We were happy to see that people in so many countries watched ‘To the Lake’ and that it landed in the top 10 in over 70 territories,” says Evgeniy Nikishov, general producer of TV-3 channel, who heads the company alongside Valeriy Fedorovich. “It has received a flood of fan posts and comments on social media, emails to our company and directly to the actors of the show.

Unspooling from June 8-15, the Key Buyers Event: Digital Edition will feature a slew of drama projects worth looking out for, from psychological thrillers to biopics and new takes on modern relationships.

“Insomnia” (1-2-3 Production) 2022

Producers: Valeriy Fedorovich, Evgeniy Nikishov

Synopsis: Yuri is a successful psychiatrist and hypnotist, a committed non-believer, capable of rationalizing anything except for his own nightmares: featuring his late ex-wife, some red-haired beauty and a strange symbol that looks like an infinity sign. When a mother of a boy, also tormented by nightmares, turns to Yuri for help, he tries to untangle this case. In the process of treatment Yuri comes across evidence of reincarnation, while the boy himself gives him clues to the mystery of his own nightmares.

Valeriy Fedorovich: “‘Insomnia’ is a mystical drama with some thriller elements and unconventional Russian A-list duet of Gosha Kutsenko and Irina Starshenbaum, known internationally for their...

Netflix has ordered “Anna K,” a TV adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s classic “Anna Karenina,” as its first-ever Russian original drama series, the streaming service said Wednesday. The series is described as lavish retelling of Tolstoy’s novel, but set in modern-day Russia.

The show will star Svetlana Khodchenkova in the title role of Anna Karenina, the wife of the soon-to-become governor of St. Petersburg, who enters a life-changing love affair with Vronsky, the dashing heir of an aluminum empire, per “Anna K’s” synopsis. Their affair quickly careens out of control, threatening the delicate balance of their familial bonds and social relationships. Set between cosmopolitan Moscow, historic St. Petersburg, and Russia’s rugged countryside, the drama explores themes of passion and loyalty.

Roman Kantor and Maria Mikulina are writing “Anna K,” which will be directed by Valeriy Fedorovich, Evgeniy Nikishov, Natasha Merkulova, Aleksey Chupov and Kantor. Producers include Fedorovich,...

Svetlana Khodchenkova will play the title character.

Netflix has set its first Russian original drama series – Anna K (working title), an adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s classic 1878 novel Anna Karenina.

The series will be a “lavish and contemporary retelling” of the novel according to Netflix. It will star Svetlana Khodchenkova in the title role. Khodchenkova’s credits include Tomas Alfredson’s 2011 feature Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Anna K will be written by Roman Kantor, and produced for Netflix by Valeriy Fedorovich and Evgeniy Nikishov of Russian firm 1-2-3 Production. Additional producers are Kantor and Sergey Kornikhin, while Fedorovich, Nikishov, Kantor,...

Netflix has set a contemporary reimagining of Leo Tolstoy’s iconic novel Anna Karenina as its first-ever Russian original drama series.

Titled Anna K, the series will be produced by Moscow-based 1-2-3 Production and stars Svetlana Khodchenkova in the title role. Khodchenkova has appeared in features including Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Wolverine.

The project is billed as a lavish retelling of the literary classic, set in modern Russia. It centers on Anna Karenina, the wife of the soon-to-become governor of St. Petersburg, who enters a life-changing love affair with Vronsky, the dashing heir of an aluminum empire.

Their affair quickly careens out of control, threatening the delicate balance of their familial bonds and social relationships. Set between cosmopolitan Moscow, historic St. Petersburg, and Russia’s rugged countryside, the drama explores themes of passion and loyalty.

Roman Kantor and Maria Mikulina are the writers, while Anna K will be directed by Valeriy Fedorovich,...

“Dreams of Alice,” a supernatural teen drama centered on a girl haunted by strange dreams as she plots her escape from a mysterious Russian town, is among the standout projects chosen for the Berlinale Series Market Selects, a newly created label that highlights series with high commercial potential.

Created by Anastasiya Volkova, and directed by Andrey Dzhunkovskiy, the series is produced by Valeriy Fedorovich and Evgeniy Nikishov of 1-2-3 Production, the team behind the hit Netflix original series “To the Lake.” The show will air domestically on Russian broadcaster TV-3.

“Dreams of Alice” follows a rebellious, small-town teen haunted by bloody premonitions whose everyday struggles prompt her to hatch an escape plan. But amid a series of strange supernatural occurrences in her gloomy provincial hometown, she begins to wonder if there’s no way out.

Series creator and writer Volkova described the show as a deeply personal project offering...

Exclusive: Ampersand Fiction, the TV drama wing of Paris-based sales company Ampersand, is teaming with Russia’s 1-2-3 Production and Gpm Entertainment Television to handle international distribution on crime thriller series The Dead Lake.

Directed by Roman Prygunov (Dukhless) and written by Roman Kantor, the scriptwriter behind the Netflix original To The Lake, the series is set in a tiny snow town in the Arctic Circle. Everything is turned upside down for the local residents when ambitious Moscow detective Maxim Pokrovsky is sent to investigate the most shocking crime in local memory: the death of the local oligarch’s daughter.

To The Lake, also from 1-2-3 Production, first premiered on the Russian VOD platform Premier and was then picked up by Netflix, where last year it became one of the streamer’s top 10 most-watched international series in the U.S..

“1-2-3 Production is one of the most...

The series has appeared on Netflix’s top 10 list in more than 50 countries worldwide.

Russian producer Valeriy Fedorovich can precisely recall how he reacted when his latest project, To The Lake, was acquired by Netflix: “I jumped into the pool fully clothed, and my kids are still asking, ‘Dad, what was that about?’”

Fedorovich is co-head of 1-2-3 Production, the Moscow-based production company owned by TV-3 – the Russian broadcaster where he also holds the role of director.

The company, launched by Fedorovich in 2018 with co-head Evgeniy Nikishov, has scored a major hit with plague thriller To The Lake, which...

The Walt Disney Company Germany has picked up a pair of Beta Films series for its Fox pay TV network for German-speaking territories: Spanish YA drama “Alive and Kicking” and Russian thriller “Dead Mountain – The Dyatlov Pass Incident.” Both series were presented to buyers at Mipcom in October and several more deals for each are in advanced negotiations, and expected to be announced shortly.

A Movistar Plus original series from Spain, “Alive and Kicking” will participate in the official program of this year’s Brlinale, screening at its newly-designed section, Berlinale Series Market Selects, alongside fellow Beta Film YA series “Echos,” produced by Neuesuper for ProSiebenSat.1 and Discovery’s Joyn.

Co-produced by Movistar Plus and Dynamo Audiovisual, “Alive and Kicking” marks the latest series from Spanish screenwriter Albert Espinosa, creator of Spain’s most successful ever drama format “Polseres vermelles,” adapted more than a dozen times around the world including an English-language version,...

In today’s Global Bulletin, Well Go USA takes North American rights to “Here Are the Young Men,” Beta Films and 1-2-3 Production team on two series, Keshet closes deals in Europe, Asia and Australia, and Tallinn Black Nights honors Margarethe Von Trotta.

Acquisition

Well Go USA has acquired North American distribution rights for Eoin Macken’s Irish drama “Here Are the Young Men,” and plans to release the film sometime in 2021.

Based on Rob Doyle’s eponymous novel, “Here Are the Young Men” unravels in 2003, over the last days of summer for three Dublin high school graduates. Amidst their revelries, the trio witness a catastrophic accident, which forces them to face their own personal demons.

“’Here Are the Young Men’ is an unflinching depiction of the realities of tragedy, temptation and the depths of human nature,” said Doris Pfardrescher, president and CEO at Well Go USA. “It shines...

‘Happy Times’ will be released by Artsploitation Films in Q1 2020.

M-Appeal has closed North American deals on two of the most prominent titles on its virtual Marché slate.

The Berlin-based sales outfit confirmed that Artsploitation Films has acquired Michael Mayer’s Happy Times, a horror comedy set over the course of a Shabbat dinner in a luxurious Hollywood mansion. Mixing satire and genre elements, the film stars Israeli actor Michael Aloni (Shtisel) and Stéfi Celma.

Happy Times is produced by Mayer, Paola Porrini Bisson and Tomer Almagor. Executive producers are Gabrielle Almagor, Richard Bisson and Erri De Luca. Artsploitation plans...

Russian director Vladlena Sandu’s upcoming TV series “Identification,” the pilot episode for which plays Tuesday at Roskino virtual market, Key Buyers Event, starts with four naked female bodies, each with the same tattoo on their neck, found by police in a refrigerator truck on the border between Russia and Finland.

Cut to three years later in Moscow where a young woman named Valeria who is an immigrant from the Kyrgyz Republic, and a recent convert to Islam, is arrested. Under her hijab she hides the same tattoo as the murder victims.

Co-written by Sandu with screenwriter Nikita Ikonnikov, “Identification” – which screened as a pilot at Series Mania last year and more recently at Berlinale Series – is a crime drama spiced up with thriller elements centered around the acceptance of “immigrants and national minorities in contemporary megalopolises,” says the show’s producer Evgeniy Nikishov, co-chief of Moscow’s Premier Studios.

Russian film promotion body Roskino has organized a virtual content market showcasing the latest Russian productions to international buyers. Unspooling from June 8-15, the Key Buyers Event: Digital Edition features a program of live presentations, pitches, panel discussions, and matchmaking sessions, along with a dedicated co-development and co-production section and a screening room with more than 150 hours of Russian film, TV, digital and animated content. Here are some of the key projects from up-and-coming Russian producers to look out for:

“Psycho”

Producers: Alexey Kiselev, Sergei Bondarchuk, Anastasia Koretskaya, Vyacheslav Murugov, Maxim Rybakov (Rent A Video Studio)

Director: Fedor Bondarchuk

Genre: TV series/psychological drama

The series revolves around the lonely and confused inhabitants of a major city, who live to feed the ambitions of their egos. They have been led away from happiness, peace of mind, and even themselves by values that have been dreamed up and imposed on them.

The Key Buyers Event: Digital Edition, a market showcase for the Russian film and TV industry, launched Monday with a welcome video from actress Anya Chipovskaya, the event’s ambassador, sent to its 400 international participants, including buyers, commissioners and producers from 55 countries.

In the video Chipovskaya appears as an A.I. guide, explaining how to use the platform, arrange meetings, find information, and avoid any difficulties that may arise while attending the online event. The video was created by film, music and commercials director Dilia Alshina, and producer Alexey Kiselev of Kisa Communications.

The Key Buyers Event, organized by Roskino with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Moscow government, runs until June 15.

During the event, participants will have access to material about 300 Russian projects, including premieres of films, drama series, animation and non-scripted formats.

The event will also host 14 panel discussions with global executives,...

Post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller “The Blackout” has secured distribution in more than 90 countries, including the U.S. and China. The movie is helmed by Egor Baranov, the director of the hit fantasy-horror trilogy “Gogol.”

Leading Russian company Central Partnership, which is handling international distribution on the film, announced the news on Monday as Key Buyers Event, a showcase of Russian movies and series organized by Roskino, got underway.

“The Blackout,” which received a wide release in Russia on Nov. 21, will be released in China by iQIYI, one of the country’s largest VOD services, and Shout! Studios will be distributing the film in the U.S. and Canada.

The movie will be one of the first titles to get a wide theatrical release in Japan after the quarantine. Japanese distributor New Select will release the film theatrically on June 12.

Other international releases include South Korea (Eleven Ent.), France (Koba Films), Germany...

Russian film promotion body Roskino has unveiled the program for its digital Key Buyers Event, a virtual content market that will present over 300 projects from more than 120 leading Russian companies to international buyers.

Presented with the support of the Ministry of Culture and the Moscow city government, the digital market will run from June 8-15. The program features a host of live presentations, panel discussions, and cultural events, along with pitching sessions for dozens of film, TV and animation projects looking for international co-production partners.

Buyers and producers from more than 40 countries are slated to take part, including Rtl Group, AMC Networks, Cgv Mars, Wild Bunch, Beta Film, and Chinese streaming service iQIYI.

“Such a national virtual market is unprecedented, and it is exciting to be the pioneers,” says Roskino CEO Evgenia Markova. “During these challenging times, we are adapting to champion our filmmakers to give them every opportunity to...

Berlin-based boutique sales outfit M-Appeal has acquired erotic drama “Fidelity” (Vernost), a Russian female version of Steve McQueen’s “Shame.” Nigina Sayfullaeva’s film – a box-office hit at home for Sony Pictures – will have its international premiere at the Rotterdam Film Festival in January.

“Fidelity” centers on Lena, an obstetrician and gynecologist, and her husband Sergey, who is an actor in a provincial theater. Their relationship is tender and close, but devoid of sex. Lena suspects that he is having an affair, but she suffers in silence without letting her jealousy show. She starts cheating on him with random men, and slowly but surely, her infidelity spins out of control.

The film has attracted much comment in the media and social media in Russia, where the issue of female sexuality is less openly discussed than in the West. Russian film critic Anton Dolin said the film “is a revolution because...

The line-up includes new TV projects from Hirokazu Kore-eda, Gurinder Chadha and Gregg Araki.

Canneseries, the annual TV festival running alongside the Miptv content market in Cannes, has unveiled the competition line-up for its second edition (April 5-10).

The first two epsidoes from 10 new international series will screen in the main competition.

Titles include Channing Powell’s London-set psychological thriller The Feed for Amazon and Liberty Global. David Thewlis stars in the dystopian tale as the inventor of a brain implant that allows people to share thoughts and emotions alongside Guy Burnet, Michelle Fairley and Nina Toussaint-White as his family members.

Netflix movies may still be question mark in terms of being allowed in competition at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival in May, but the streaming giant will be present at Cannes Series. The Cannes television festival will mark its second year next month with Netflix going up against rival Amazon in the competition section. The full lineup includes series from Israel, Norway, Spain, and Belgium.

Netflix’s competition entry is the German series “How to Sell Drugs Online Fast,” from writers Philipp Käßbohrer and Matthias Murmann. Amazon is heading to Cannes Series with “The Feed,” a London-set drama created by Channing Powell and based on the novel Nick Clark Windo. “The Feed” stars “Game of Thrones” favorite Michelle Fairley opposite David Thewlis in a story about a piece of technology that allows people to instantly share thoughts and emotions. The tech falls into the wrong hands and becomes a murderous weapon.

Cannes Series has revealed the lineup, jury and masterclasses for its second edition, which takes place alongside the Mip TV market on the French Riviera.

Among ten series in competition at the TV festival are Netflix’s German show How To Sell Drugs Online and Amazon’s UK series The Feed with Michelle Fairley and David Thewlis. Out of competition shows include Starz’ Now Apocalypse and Russel T Davies’ Years And Years. Scroll down for the lineup in full.

The competition jury will be presided over by Dark show-runner Baran bo Odar with members comprising actor, director and author Stephen Fry (Gosford Park), actors Miriam Leone (Non Uccidere) and Emma Mackey (Sex Education), actor and director Katheryn Winnick (Vikings) and composer Rob (The Bureau). David Cross and Jude Law are among those with projects in the short form competition.

Among those set to give masterclasses will be Game Of Thrones...

Includes world premieres of Succession and The Split.

The world premiere of the 60-minute pilot episode of HBO’s Succession, written by Jesse Armstrong, the UK creator of Peep Show and Fresh Meat, and directed by Adam McKay, whose credits include The Big Short and Anchorman, will open the ninth edition of Series Mania in Lille on April 27.

Brian Cox, Hiam Abbass and Matthew Macfadyen head the ensemble cast of Succession, which follows the travails of a dysfunctional media dynasty.

Additionally, the Official Competition is comprised of 10 world premieres of original global TV series. They include BBC and Sundance TV series The Split,...