At the Russia exhibition, Aleksandr Zharov spoke to young people about modern media heroes and the art of controlling emotions

At the Russia International Exhibition and Forum, Aleksandr Zharov, CEO of Gazprom-Media Holding, gave a lecture on the topic “Movie Hero of Our Time: the Neurophysiology of Viewer Choice”.

The lecture took the form of a live dialog with the audience, where everyone was able share their opinions and ask questions. Aleksandr Zharov began his lecture with a small excursion into the world of neurobiology, which was received with great interest by the young audience. The head of the media holding noted that in general, the neurosphere is among the most promising areas today, and specialists in this field will be in high demand in the coming years in very varied, but always advanced sectors of the digital economy. He urged the young people to pay attention to neuroscience when choosing their future profession.

Aleksandr Zharov shared the successes of information and entertainment TV channels of the holding, NTV, TNT, Friday! and TV-3. He showed the first developments of D.Lab neuroproduction studio—generative animation of the popular Detskoe Radio audio podcast New Adventures of Vesnushka and Kipyatosha, and announced the continuation of the Rus cycle of historical projects. The third picture of the cycle is dedicated to the reign of Catherine the Great. Actresses Olga Lerman and Anna Mikhalkova will play different periods of her life in the movie.

Among the holding company’s immediate plans, Aleksandr Zharov announced the release of a large-scale family fantasy film of The Wizard of Emerald City, based on Aleksandr Volkov’s fairy tale of the same name (the premiere is scheduled for January 1, 2025, with production by Central Partnership, Kinoslovo, CGF, and Nikita Mikhalkov’s TRITE Studio, with the support of the Cinema Fund), as well as a full-length animated feature film Doktor Dinozavrov, co-produced by Central Partnership and YARKO animation company.

After the lecture, Aleksandr Zharov told media representatives that “movie heroes should be kind and positive, honest, definitely not cowards, and be able to defend themselves and their principles, and protect their family, home and country. Such heroes have always been and will always be in demand.” He also spoke about plans to make a long-lasting story out of the movie The Wizard of Emerald City.