On October 7, To the Lake, the Russian TV show created by the Moscow-based company 1-2-3 Production, premiered on Netflix, one of the world's leading video-streaming services. It was released as part of the premium Netflix Originals category and quickly broke into the Top 10 list of best watched series offered by the platform. The Russian drama series, which recounts the spread of a lethal respiratory virus, quickly reached 8th place in the list, overtaking the new seasons of Modern Family and Family Guy, among others.
Expert reviews compare the Russian series produced by Valeriy Fedorovich and Evgeniy Nikishov to international classics in the post-apocalyptic genre like The Walking Dead, 28 Days Later, and Train to Busan. The critics also note the masterfully created environment of tension and the gripping interpersonal drama between characters in the show.
“While working on the project we did not set ourselves the task of winning international markets, though we hoped for that. It was important for us to show the relationship between people who are under the threat of death and want to survive no matter what. Can they stay human? How far are they willing to go to save themselves and their loved ones? These questions move our story, and if it hooked the international audience, then, we were able to find something important that touched the hearts of millions of people”, says Valery Fedorovich, Managing Director of 1-2-3 Production.
“It’s an interesting fact that To the Lake was most viewed in Poland and Brazil, and these are two countries that are located too far away from each other. It shows that none of cultural or other differences matter when there is an interesting story that raises the issues on the global agenda”, as admitted by Evgeny Nikishov, Managing Director of 1-2-3 Production.
“A number of Russian series bought by international streaming platforms is growing. Apart from the To the Lake, we can mention Gold Diggers series that was sold to Amazon Prime Video Originals and Walter Presents (owned by British Channel 4). In addition, Good man series entered the short-list of the international festival “Serial Killer 2020”. Russia has become one of the top 10 world’s largest exporters of scripted formats. We attribute this success to the growing quality of our content and of course to the fact that every year there are more and more talented people in Russian film industry”, says Evgenia Markova, CEO of ROSKINO, the Russian organization in charge of promoting Russian audiovisual content worldwide.
About 1-2-3 Production
1-2-3 Production (part of Gazprom-Media Holding) is a Moscow-based production company, which focuses on both commercial genre and director-driven feature films as well as premium high-concept series. The company has earned its reputation by producing a line-up of feature films with both solid local box office results and international performance, as well as internationally recognized series.
About ROSKINO
ROSKINO is the organization representing the Russian industry of audiovisual content on the international markets. ROSKINO promotes Russian films to global markets at events such as the AFM in LA, EFM in Berlin, Marché du film, MipTV and MipCOM in Cannes, FILMART in Hong Kong, international film festivals in Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto, London, the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and the European Film Awards. The company also supports the distribution of Russian content and helps to attract investors and partners interested in co-production with Russia.
ROSKINOS's primary aim is to develop effective system to support Russian content in foreign countries and promote Russia as a solid partner for international cooperation and co-production.