Walt Disney Pictures is set to begin fillming on its first Russian production filmed in that country. The first thing Disney will tackle is taking some of Russia’s most-loved children’s adventures based on some of that country’s famous fairy tales and characters.
First up is “Kniga Masterov” — in English – “The Book of Masters.” It will be helmed by Vadim Sokolovsky (“The Ticket to the Harem,” “The Keeper of Time”). “Kniga,” which will also be written by Sokolovsky and will draw on stories adapted from Russian fairy tales known and loved by generations of Russian citizens, and be geared for a family audiences, according to a report from Variety Europe.
A preliminary release schedule has been set to begin sometime in autumn 2009.
“We are extremely encouraged that Disney, known throughout the world for its film versions of immortal stories, aims to revive the feature-film fairy-tale genre in Russia,†stated Leonid Vereshchagin, general director of Three-T, the production company working with Disney.
“We are working with a legendary cast, a great director, one of the premier production companies in the world, and — perhaps most importantly — we have a wonderful story that will be a strong addition to the Disney tradition,†said Jason Reed, general manager of Walt Disney Studios Intl. Production.
“The credit goes to our team in Russia. Because of Marina Zhigalova-Ozkan’s strong leadership and the hard work of her team, our first Russian language production fully delivers on the goals of our mission internationally,” added Reed.
[Headline image: S.Kamanin. “Russian Fairy Tales” Casket. 1999. Palekh]
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