The screenings in the Reel Cinemas movie theatre in Dubai Mall opened with the animation, “Fixies VS Crabots” by Riki Group. In her welcome speech, the CEO of ROSKINO Inna Shalyto introduced the entire programme of the festival. She also informed that the Russian Film Festival has being held since 2020 and has already garthered almost 6.5 million viewers in 28 countries around the world. The General producer of Riki Group, Yulia Nikolaeva, when introducing the film, “Fixies VS Crabots”, noted, that the “Fixies” Universe exists for more than 12 years already. During this 12 year period, four seasons of the animated series and two feature films were released.
In the Russian Film Festival in Dubai, the animated film “Detective Chirp & the Golden Beehive” was premiered on the international stage for a wide audience, created by “SMF Animation and the Magic Factory company. This new film was presented to the audience by the director of business development of SMF Animation – Katerina Pshenitsyna. What makes this animated film special, is the technology used in its development: it is the first full-length animated film ever to be entirely created by on a game engine (used exclusively for the development of videogames).
Besides that, at the screenings of the Russian Film Festival, that local audience watched one more animated film, “Finnick” (Also by the Riki Group - a thrilling tale about a playful house spirit, who teams up with a girl named Christina, and together they investigate strange, unexplained occurrences in their city. “Finnick” today is in the top three of the most profitable Russian films of 2022 (in Russia respectively); this project was sold to a number of other countries as well.
“Detective Chirp & the Golden Beehive” and “Finnick” were the most popular films in the Russian Film Festival in Dubai.
Several other pictures were presented in the RFF in Dubai, a Sci-Fi thriller “Sputnik”, a ballet drama “The Bolshoi” and a comedy about the conflict between generations, “A Young Man”: a film about a 30 year old Ivan, who decided to disguise himself as a high-school student in order to partake in a school competition with a hefty money prize for the winner. The film was introduced by the director Alexander Fomin and a producer Ekaterina Kononenko.
The presence of the Russian Film in Dubai was not limited to the Reel Cinemas movie theater: 23-24 November, more than 60 Russian projects (films, series, animated projects) were also presented on the Dubai International Content Market, DICM 2022. Russian companies showcased their new projects to the international TV channels, VOD platform, distributors, and perhaps in the near future, the audiences in the Middle East and Northern Africa will be able to enjoy even more wonderful films from Russian filmmakers.
Notes
Russian Film Festival in Dubai Programme:
- “Detective Chirp & the Golden Beehive” (director Grigori Vozjakin, 2022) – Russian animation film produced by SMF Animation and “Magic Factory”, based on the animated series Secrets of Honey Hills. The project combines two popular genres – a crime story and a comedy. A wise owl private eye Sofie and her eager assistant – a squirrel named Chirp – undertake the investigation of a very peculiar case. The main characters, their friends and the citizens of the Honey Valley will have to fight a super villain in order to prevent the theft and destruction of the Golden Beehive artefact. Legend says that this artefact controls the weather in the Valley…
- “Finnick” (director Denis Chernov, 2022) – a fun, animated adventure film, a thrilling and captivating kids detective tale from the creators of the “Kikoriki”. Finnick – is a pleasant and cheery house spirit, but he is a tad picky and crafty. He constantly plays pranks on the people living in the house, thus not one family ever stays there for long, in his house. But everything changes when the latest tenants move in – his tricks do not work on them at all. Finnick meets a girl, Christina, and unexplained events start to take place in the city. The two polar opposites, Finnick and Christina, will need to join forces to uncover the mystery and save the city…
- “The Fixies vs. Crabots” (director Vasili Bedoshvili, Oleg Uzjinov, Ivan Pshoshkin, 2019) – an animation film about Fixies – tiny, cute humanoids, which live inside appliances and tech equipment, and look after it. Well… They fix stuff. Fixies hide from humans. There are but a few lucky people in the world who’s ever gotten to see them. The laboratory of Professor Chudakov, is where the school of Fixies is based. Only two people know about it, a boy named DimDimich and his friend Katia. However, one day, mysterious, elusive creatures appear – Robots-Crabots. They spy on the Fixies and threaten to reveal them…
- “A Young Man” (director Alexander Fomin, 2022) – a fun comedy about the conflict of generations. Despite finishing school with honours, and excelling at college, by the age of thirty, Ivan ended up with nothing; his wife left him, he was fired from his job… At rock bottom, he finds out that his classmate, a terrible student, Kolya, became a very successful businessman. Kolya decided to host a competition for high school students, with a multimillion dollar prize. Ivan, who looks much younger than his actuasl age, decided to trick Kolya. He shaved his beard, forged his documents, and set out to participate in the competition, confident that hie will defeat the much younger high schoolers…
- “The Bolshoi” (director Valerii Todorovskii, 2017) – a Russian drama film about a young dancer Yulia, who received an opportunity to appear on stage of the Bolshoi Theater. However, even the most precious of diamonds need to be worked on, in order to become truly valuable. For Yulia, the path to the Bolshoi Theater stage lies through the rigors of ballet school. To become a star, many sacrifices need to be made… However, no obstacle can ever stop a person who has a big dream…
- “Sputnik” (director Yegor Abramenko, 2020) – a captivating thriller, events take place in the 1980s USSR. A cosmonaut and national hero, return to earth with a strange creature… Inside his own body. In a secret laboratory of a town which does not officially exist, a young scientist tries to save the man’s life from the creature within him. She soon realizes that her feelings for her patient are far more than merely professional…