Russian Animation Outfit Riki Group Names New CEO

Tom Grater International Film ReporterEXCLUSIVE: Chernobyl the big-budget Russian action drama about the titular nuclear disaster, has been acquired by Capelight Pictures for North America and German-speaking territories, with the company partnering with MPI Media Group on the U.S. release.Moscow-based sales agent Central Partnership continued sales efforts on the title during the Cannes online market last week, as well as the Russian Virtual Content Market earlier last month.

Three years ago, Kirill Serebrennikov, Russia's most celebrated theater director and the helmer of several films — the most recent being the 2018 rock musical Leto, in competition for the Palme d'Or at Cannes — woke up to find himself in a nightmare straight out of a Franz Kafka novel. His apartment and the offices of his Gogol Center, a state-funded theater, were raided by investigators who claimed he'd embezzled several million dollars in public funds.

HELSINKI -- The Baltic nation of Latvia has banned the state-controlled Russian television channel RT, saying that it is effectively controlled by a media figure who is under European Union sanctions. But the man in question, Dmitry Kiselev, mocked the move Tuesday, saying that he never was in charge of RT.

“Welcome to Chechnya,” directed by David France, is about an underground pipeline created to rescue LGBTQ Chechens from the Russian republic where the government has for several years waged a crackdown on gays. In the predominantly Muslim region in southern Russia ruled by strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, LGBTQ Chechens have been detained, tortured and killed.

Top officials in the White House were aware in early 2019 of classified intelligence indicating Russia was secretly offering bounties to the Taliban for the deaths of Americans, a full year earlier than has been previously reported, according to U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the intelligence.

“Welcome to Chechnya,” directed by David France, is about an underground pipeline created to rescue LGBTQ Chechens from the Russian republic where the government has for several years waged a crackdown on gays. In the predominantly Muslim region in southern Russia ruled by strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, LGBTQ Chechens have been detained, tortured and killed.

Russian theater director of embezzling state funds and imposed a three-year suspended sentence Friday in a case widely seen as politically motivated. Kirill Serebrennikov, 50, one of the most prominent theater and film directors in Russia, and his associates were found guilty of fraud and embezzling 129 million rubles (over $1.8 million) of state funding for a theater project.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterKirill Serebrennikov, the prominent Russian filmmaker behind The Student and Leto, has been found guilty of criminal fraud by a Moscow court after a controversial trial.Supporters of Serebrennikov claim the decision is politically motivated.

Christopher Vourlias Producer Ilya Stewart was in the early days of financing “Petrov’s Flu,” the latest feature from Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov (“Leto”), when he chose to bypass state funding bodies.

Russia’s best-known theater and film director, and his associates were charged with embezzling 133 million rubles (about $2 million) of state funding for a theater project. The prosecution on Monday amended the amount of allegedly embezzled funds to almost 129 million rubles (over $1.8 million) and asked the court to collect the money from the accused.

Christopher Vourlias The Key Buyers Event: Digital Edition, a virtual platform for Russian content hosted by film promotion body Roskino, wrapped this week with a slew of sales and an affirmation that global players are increasingly looking to tap into the Russian market.The online market welcomed some 600 international participants from 70 countries, with the largest number of buyers coming from the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Spain, Japan and China.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentShout! Studios has take North American rights to World War II epic “The Last Frontier,” while U.K. rights have gone to Signature Entertainment.

Christopher Vourlias In the weeks following the inaugural edition of the Key Buyers Event, a showcase for new Russian productions held in Moscow last fall, Roskino CEO Evgenia Markova reached out to scores of international guests who had made the trip to the Russian capital.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentKyrgyz and Russian director Nurbek Egen is best known for feature films “The Wedding Chest” and “The Empty Home,” and he more recently transitioned to TV with the 2017 series “Two Against Death.” He is now making a play for international audiences with high-end show “Sherlock: The Russian Chronicles,” produced by Russia’s Yellow, Black and White group, and penned by Oleg Malovichko (“Sputnik”).

Christopher Vourlias When Russian toon house Wizart Animation began enlisting collaborators for its upcoming series “Snow Queen: Keepers of Wonders,” a small-screen spinoff of the blockbuster animated film franchise, it wasted no time in recruiting talent from abroad. Brad Breeck, the composer from Disney XD’s “Gravity Falls,” came on board to assist with the soundtrack, while TV and comic-book writer Matthew Wayne was tapped as a script doctor.

Christopher Vourlias This week the Key Buyers Event: Digital Edition, organized by Russian film promotion body Roskino, launched its virtual showcase of new Russian productions with some 400 international participants slated to take part, including buyers, commissioners and producers from 55 countries.Exports of Russian films have been growing at a healthy 25% clip annually in recent years, according to Roskino, but a key question for many foreign buyers is how to market and sell those films in