A century after the October Revolution in Russia, the Russian Content Revolution is taking place and will be in the spotlight at MIPCOM 2017. World premiere screenings, a series of international screenings, conferences and networking opportunities will bring fresh high-end content from Russia to the attention of global TV industry.
“This autumn marks the hundredth anniversary of the Russian Revolution. Two of its protagonists were Lenin and Trotsky. Channel One will showcase on this occasion the docu-drama about Lenin based on previously-unseen archives, while Trotsky will be presented to audiences as the hero of a drama series,” said Channel One Russia CEO and “Trotsky” series producer Konstantin Ernst.
The world premiere screening of “Trotsky”, presented by Channel One and Sreda Production, will be the flagship event of the Russian Content Revolution showcase. Its creators hope the series will be an international hit due to its high production values, compelling script, and its complex lead character.
“Leon Trotsky was the real mastermind and executive of the October upheaval, virtually its producer. He is an international star of the last 100 years, a real pop-icon, a man of great achievements, who met a tragic fate. Our series is the first drama dedicated to Trotsky in the history of Russia, so we hope to rouse both Russian and international audiences’ interest in this project,” added Ernst.
Konstantin Ernst will attend the event to present the project, along with Sreda Production general producer and the series producer Alexander Tsekalo, and its main stars, Konstantin Khabensky, who plays Trotsky, and Olga Sutulova.
The world premiere of “Trotsky” will be supported by the Russian Export Centre that is organising the MADE IN RUSSIA national pavilion at MIPCOM, which will mostly host animation companies but also a number of series producers, including Sreda, Sputnik Vostok Production, and Red Carpet Studio.
“Russian content producers are already well-known for the high quality of their product and Russian studios have gained a strong reputation in foreign markets. Media content producers and production studios are being supported by the Russian Export Centre as part of our ongoing efforts to promote digital content exports,” said Russian Export Centre CEO Pyotr Fradkov.
NTV Broadcasting Company will have a showcase of its fresh content at MIPCOM that includes a special event at the opening gala and an international screening of “The Road to Calvary “.
An adaptation of Aleksey Tolstoy’s novel, it tells the story of two sisters through the tragic times of 1914–1919 encompassing World War I, the Russian Revolution, and civil war. Two young stars of Russian TV and cinema, Anna Chipovskaya and Yulia Snigir, who play the two sisters, will present the project on stage along with NTV Channel general producer Timur Weinstein.
NTV Broadcasting Company will also present the channel and its new line-up at the MIPCOM opening party that will take place on 16 October 2017. The special event for the channel’s international partners and friends will highlight original TV formats from NTV and a range of its latest drama series, which are already acquired by major global distributors, such as Dori Media and Armoza Formats.
TV3 Channel will present a unique case in the mystery thriller “Gogol”- a drama series with extremely successful theatrical release before its premiere on TV and elsewhere. The series features Nikolai Gogol, the great Russian nineteenth century dramatist, who finds himself in the ghastly world of fairy tales from his native Ukraine. The first two episodes, combined as a full-length film, were released in cinemas at the end of August and paid off over the first weekend. One of the most expensive projects on Russian TV, “Gogol” topped the Russian box-office for over a month, and the rest of the episodes will follow in several weeks.
The creators and producers of the series, as well as the actresses Yulia Franz and Taisiia Vilkova, will present one episode, followed by a discussion on the revolutionary monetisation model employed by the “Gogol” project.
More output from leading Russian companies will be presented at the Russian Drama Showcase. Amedia Production and Mars Media Entertainment will show the new historical drama “Golden Horde” set in ancient Russia of the late thirteenth century. All Media, the official distributor of Yellow, Black and White, will screen two fresh projects, a sci-fi series “Better Than Us”, about the world where humans co-exist with robots, and a new drama, “Cleaned Up”, about ex-drug addicts’ paths to a new life.
The international industry will not only have a chance to see fresh content from Russia, but also meet the top producers behind it. A special high-level networking event, Meet the Russian Producers, is an invitation-only session where key international decision-makers will meet with established Russian drama producers to shape the future of global content partnerships. On the Russian side, key professionals from Sreda Production, CTC Media, Art Pictures, Star Media, and Sputnik Vostok Production will attend the session.
The Russian Content Revolution also concerns the animation sector. Fresh Russian Animation Screening at MIPJunior will feature a range of recent Russian projects for kids, including new projects from Riki Group, Wizart, Melnitsa, CTC and other key industry players. The MIPJunior showcase is presented by the Russian Export Centre.
“We have successfully launched a marketing and advertising programme to promote and support Russian animation producers. The first step as we see it is to set up national pavilions at key international fairs and exhibitions. MIPJunior and MIPCOM are among the must-take-part events for digital content producers,” noted Petr Fradkov of the Russian Export Centre.
MIPJunior will also host a world premiere TV screening of the kids’ fantasy series “Heroes of Envell”, produced by Digital Television Russia and distributed by Signal Media. Produced by the Parovoz animation studio, “Heroes of Envell” (26 x 11’) starts in school, where four promising pupils at junior high find a laptop containing a mysterious game, which turns out to be a portal to the game world with real adventures and dangers.
“There is no doubt the Russian production sector is undergoing an upheaval, with major international buyers such as Netflix, Fox TV Studios and Hulu all buying content from Russia of late. So it is timely for the international marketplace to take a closer look at the innovative drama and animation programming being produced there, to see why the country is now a serious player on the international stage,” said Reed MIDEM director of television and organiser of MIPCOM Laurine Garaude.
MIP Junior takes place in the JW Marriott hotel, Cannes on 14 to 15 October 2017. MIPCOM takes place in the Palais des Festivals, Cannes from 16 to 19 October 2017.