Moscow hosted the sixth international festival Comic Con Russia 2019 from 3-6 October. This is the main event for the fans of films, TV series, comic books and video games. This year the event was attended by more than 100,000 people.
Gazprom-Media’s TV channels and studios traditionally take part in the most famous pop culture festival. This year, PREMIER Studios production studio, Central Partnership film company and 2x2 television channel presented their projects at the event.
PREMIER Studios
The studio introduced festival guests to the upcoming releases on the PREMIER online platform, which will come out on the video service under the brand Sdelano PREMIER (Made by PREMIER). Moreover, the company presented future films that will be released in movie theaters.
Movie series for PREMIER
The studio presented two new series set to roll out on the PREMIER online platform. One of them is an eight-episode psychological thriller Call Center. The actor Vladimir Yaglych, and director and screenwriters Natasha Merkulova and Alexey Chupov presented the project. At the presentation, they showed scenes from the series and the trailer that was created specifically for the Comic Con Russia festival, and answered questions from guests. The Call Center series previously received an award at the Pilot TV series festival for best screenplay.
The second project for the video service that festival guests were introduced to was the series Epidemiya (The Epidemic). This is the screen adaptation of the post-apocalyptic novel Vongozero by Yana Vagner. The screenwriter Roman Kantor (Mertvoe Ozero/The Dead Lake) and actor Eldar Kalimulin presented the series to festival guests. The series will launch on the PREMIER platform on November 14.
Comic Con Russia was also visited by the stars of the series Chernobyl: Zona Otchuzhdeniya (Chernobyl: Exclusion Zone). The actors Kristina Kazinskaya and Anvar Khalilulaev revealed the results of the contest for the best budget parody to the series’ trailer together with representatives of Studio 188, and showed the funniest clips from fans.
Projects for film distribution
PREMIER Studios presented four film projects set for cinema release. The sequel to the highest-grossing Russian comedy Politseysky s Rublevki. Novogodniy Bespredel 2 (The Policeman from Rublyovka. New Year’s Mayhem 2) will come out in movie theaters across the country on December 12 (Central Partnership as distributor). At Comic Con Russia, the film was presented by its director Ilya Kulikov, actress Rina Grishina, and the producer in charge of promoting TV-3 and PREMIER Studios films, Vladimir Permyakov. The film was created together with TNT and Legio Felix company.
PREMIER Studios also introduced festival guests to the upcoming action fantasy film, Karamora (Central Partnership as distributor). The film was presented by its producer and director, Danila Kozlovsky. The film’s action takes place at the start of the 20th century, and combines action and steampunk genres.
The post-apocalyptic blockbuster Avanpost (The Outpost) was also presented at Comic Con Russia 2019. The film by Egor Baranov will be released in theaters on November 21. The film was presented by its director as well as actress Lukerya Ilyashenko and screenwriter Ilya Kulikov.
Popular writer Dmitry Glukhovsky spoke from the stage on the final day of the festival. He talked about the future adaptation of the Metro 2033 literary universe. PREMIER Studios, TV-3 channel and Central Partnership are involved in the production of the fantasy blockbuster.
Central Partnership
Central Partnership film company presented four Russian films at the festival. Viewers will see them in movie theaters in the near future.
In addition to Metro 2033, Dmitry Glukhovsky presented an adaptation of his other best-seller, the drama Tekst (Text), with Alexander Petrov in the lead role.
Producer Alexander Rodnyansky and artist Artem Bizyaev talked about the film Devyataya (The Ninth), as well as how they got the idea to add comics to an adventure thriller with elements of mysticism.
The film Koma (Coma) was presented by its team - director Nikita Argunov and actors Rinal Mukhametov, Lyubov Aksenova, Anton Pampushny. Meanwhile, director Svyatoslav Podgayevsky and producer Ivan Kapitonov talked about their new horror film Yaga. Koshmar Temnogo Lesa (Yaga. Nightmare of the Dark Forest).
2x2
The chief producer of the channel, Anna Moryakova, unveiled the new adventure animated series Nigdegorod from 2x2 Animation Studio. After the family is abandoned by the father, the series’ main character and his mother move to a provincial town where they become witnesses of various mystical phenomena. The main character has to survive in the company of local outcasts while trying to figure out what is happening to Nigdegorod and its inhabitants.
2x2 also presented its new comic strip Multiserial Moei Mechty (The Animation of my Dreams), created in collaboration with the publishing house Jellyfish Jam, and arranged exclusive showings of animated series of its own production - Podozritelnaya Sova (Suspicious Owl) and Burdashev.
2x2’s joint stand with Kinopoisk HD was designed in the style of the cult animated series Rick and Morty. Channel viewers will be the first to see the fourth season of the series in Russia.
