On May 31 the Russian Association of Film and Television Producers made an online announcement about the results of its VIII professional awards for achievements in the television and film industries in 2019. The TV series and films made by Gazprom-Media Holding’s television channels and studios renewed their record from the year before and received a maximum number of accolades.
“Today we have a well-deserved reason to be proud - 17 awards out of 22. We are very happy that our films and TV series are not only popular and in-demand among viewers, but also recognised by the professional community since the main advantage that Gazprom-Media has is its creation of high-quality content across all media environments. Our creative, production and technical teams are constantly on the lookout for new ideas. They courageously turn them into reality and do so on the highest possible level. This makes all the projects of the Holding strong and easily recognisable brands, appealing to the viewers, who love, watch and discuss them. I congratulate all our colleagues with this dazzling and convincing victory!”, said Alexander Zharov, CEO of Gazprom-Media Holding.
The award winners included the TV series Shtorm (The Storm) and Epidemiya (The Epidemic), which received five awards from the Association. It is noteworthy that at the end of last year these series were recognised as the best projects of 2019 on the website kino-teatr.ru, based on a vote by Russian film critics.
The Association’s professional jury named Shtorm the best series of the year (5-24 episodes). It also received awards in the nominations “Best screenwriting” and “Best director”. Two actors from the series - Aleksandr Robak in the lead role and Maksim Lagashkin in the supporting role - won awards in their respective nominations.
Another TV series, Epidemiya (produced by PREMIER Studios, KIT Film Studio, IVAN Production Center, TNT-Television Network) won the nominations “Best cinematography”, “Best make-up”, and “Best editing”. Additionally, two actresses from the series received awards. Viktoria Isakova was recognised as the best leading actress, while Maryana Spivak won for her performance in a supporting role.
The series Battalion, which was made by KIT Film Studio on a commission from NTV channel, received two awards from the Association. The project beat out the competition in the nominations “Best mini-series” and “Best sound editing”.
The film Tekst (Text) was recognised as the best feature-length film. Directed by Klim Shipenko and produced by START video service, Central Partnership and KINOPRIME Foundation, the film is an adaptation of Dmitry Glukhovsky’s bestseller of the same name.
The movie series Gogol won in the category “Best visual effects”. This adventure mystery was created by TV-3 channel and Sreda production company, and directed by Egor Baranov. The project became the first TV series to be released in movie theatres in advance of its TV premiere. Well-known Russian actors Alexander Petrov and Oleg Menshikov performed the lead roles.
Zhuki (Bugs), created by Comedy Club Production and TNT channel, was named the best comedy television series.
The series A.L.Z.H.I.R., which was created on a commission from NTV television company, received an award in the nomination “Best casting”. The multi-series drama is based on real events that took place from 1938 to 1945. It tells the tragic story of the wives of the men labelled “traitors of the Motherland” and their lives in one of the harshest labour camps for women during the Stalinist regime, Akmolinsk.
The award for “Best original score for a series” went to the family saga Otchim (Stepfather), which was made by KIT Film Studio. The plot centers on a real story of a small post-war village where the residents bond together like a family as they live through these difficult years, all the while believing in the best, seeking happiness and learning to love life again.
