"In 2018, Aleksey Chupov and I brought our film The Man Who Surprised Everyone to the Orizzonti competition at the Venice Biennale," says Natasha Merkulova. "Now, three years later, we're delighted to be returning to Venice with our new film Captain Volkonogov Escaped, which has been selected for the Biennale's main competition. It's a great honor for us."
Captain Volkonogov Escaped is a drama with thriller elements, shot in St. Petersburg. The film's principal theme is the journey to forgiveness. One day, the life of the main character, Captain Volkonogov, is turned upside down. Accused of a crime, he goes into hiding on the outskirts of the city, where he meets a messenger from beyond the grave. The messenger gives him one shot at redemption: he must be forgiven by the members of the house upon which he brought death. But many trails await him along the way.
Captain Volkonogov Escaped was co-produced by Russia, Estonia and France with the support of the Russian Ministry of Culture, the Kinoprime Foundation for the Development of Modern Cinematography, Eurimages (the European fund that supports the co-production and distribution of film and cinema), the Ministry of Culture of Estonia, and the Estonian Film Foundation. The companies involved in the production were MC² (Russia), Look Film (Russia), Homeless Bob Production (Estonia) and Kinovista (France). The producers were Valeriy Fedorovich, Evgeniy Nikishov and Aleksandr Plotnikov with co-producers Katrin Kissa, Charles-Evrard Tchekhoff and Nadezhda Zayonchkovskaya.
About the film:
Genre: Drama, thriller
Production: Russia, Estonia, France
Directors: Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov
Screenwriters: Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov with input from Mart Taniel
Producers: Valeriy Fedorovich, Evgeniy Nikishov, Aleksandr Plotnikov
Co-producers: Katrin Kissa, Charles-Evrard Tchekhoff, Nadezhda Zayonchkovskaya
Director of photography: Mart Taniel
Editor: François Gédigier
Production designer: Sergey Fevralev
Costume designer: Nadezhda Vasileva
Actors: Yuriy Borisov (Captain Volkonogov), Timofey Tribuntsev (Major Golovnya), Aleksandr Yatsenko (Major Gvozdev), Nikita Kukushkin ("Little Guy" Veretennikov), Vladimir Epifantsev (Colonel Zhikharev), Anastasia Ukolova (Rayechka), Natalya Kudryashova (Yelizarova), Dmitriy Podnozov (Professor Yelizarov), Victoria Tolstoganova (Widow Steiner), Yury Kuznetsov (Ignatiy Alekseyevich), Igor Savochkin (Uncle Misha), Maksim Stoyanov (Lependin the Worker), Polina Vitorgan (Lependina), Vitaliya Kornienko (Little Girl), Aleksandr Shein (Nina's Neighbor), Nataliya Volkova (Nina), Natalya Iokhvidova (Laura Petrovna), Nikolai Shreiber (Vozdvizhensky), Mikhail Khuranov (Gravedigger), Askar Nigametzyanov (Sergeant Zverev), Kirill Vasilev (Captain and Detective), Zoya Kaydanovskaya (Librarian) and more.
Synopsis
Captain Fyodor Volkonogov, a well-respected and obedient USSR law enforcer, witnesses his peers being suspiciously questioned. Sensing his turn is approaching, he escapes and is soon on the run, hunted by his former colleagues. Vulnerable and hopeless, Fyodor comes to realize what he had been part of. Suddenly he gets a message from hell: after death he will be sentenced to eternal torments. The only way to avoid is to repent and to find at least one person who will give him forgiveness. But time is running out and the manhunt is closing in on him…
For more information, please contact:
pr@mc2production.pro