Roskino, the organization representing the Russian audiovisual industry in the international markets, will organize a joint booth for the Russian film industry at Dubai International Content Market (DICM) 2022 in Dubai on November 23 and 24.
The Russian content is participating in DICM 2022 for the second year in a row under the Russian Content Worldwide brand.
The projects from Russia include the new family comedy Chebi: My Fluffy Friend; the sports dramas Eleven Silent Men (will be of particular interest to football fans) and Kamaz. Extreme Racing (about Russian legendary motorsport team KAMAZ-master); the historical projects The Conquest of Siberia, Ekaterina. Pretenders and the large-scale historical drama Union of Salvation. The Age of Wrath (a story based on real events of the Decembrist uprising of 1825) and many others. Among the documentaries are Arctic. The Great Expedition about the problem of global warming and the rapid melting of ice in the Arctic and The Highest Point about the scientific research of the planet Earth from space.
A large number of Russian projects presented in Dubai are animations: Detective Chirp and the Golden Beehive, the world’s first full-length animation project created on a game engine; The Fixies and many others.
Films, series, and animations will be shown in Dubai by All Media (a START company), START and KION online cinemas, SREDA production company, NTV Broadcasting Company, Sovtelexport (official distributor for Russia Television and Radio), Pimanov&Partners, SMF Animation, Riki Group, Parovoz Animation studio, Digital Television Russia, ODIN MEDIA, X-Media Digital and Russkoe Film Company.
As part of DICM 2022, there will also be two showcase presentations: the first dedicated to Russian animation and the second to films and series. Russian content will be presented to international buyers by Inna Shalyto, CEO of ROSKINO.
ROSKINO CEO Inna Shalyto says, “DICM has great potential for presenting modern Russian content and for us to get better acquainted with the audiences and the MENA media industry. DICM is being held in Dubai, which is one of the centers of the content industry in the Middle East, and we appreciate the opportunity to organize business dialogs with key players in the UAE and the entire MENA region. We have taken into account our experience last year at the DICM market, when we got to know the MENA region and audience preferences more closely, and this year we are bringing content from the genres that are most popular in these countries: family films, animation (entertainment and educational), historical dramas, and teen content (youth dramas and comedies), among others. Just like in India, where we recently presented Russian content at the Russian Film Festival in Mumbai and at Film Bazaar, here in Dubai our film industry will also be comprehensively represented—in the professional environment at DICM 2022 and among the audience as part of the days of Russian cinema, which will be held in Dubai immediately after DICM, from 25 to 27 November”.
The official distributor of Russia Television and Radio content, Sovtelexport, has been showing their content in MENA for several years. In this market, they are highlighting the third season of a large-scale historical drama about Catherine the Great — Ekaterina. Pretenders. In Dubai, the company will also present a modern mystic detective story Dreamcatcher and a documentary film The Highest Point about researching planet Earth from space. Previously, the rights to dramas about strong female characters have been popular: including the television series Anna Karenina, and others. The OSN TV channel included the drama Einstein. The Theory of Love, Sophia, and Zuleikha opens her eyes. The latter tells the dramatic story about the fate of Zuleikha, which was shown on the state-owned satellite channel Sharjah TV.
Online cinema START is now finalizing their first deal for the sale of format rights in MENA. Work is underway in parallel on new projects that may appeal to viewers from the countries of this region. One similar, ready-made project is the romantic comedy Ms Sweet, which will be available dubbed in English. The series is of interest to buyers not only as a finished product, but also as a format for adaptation. In Dubai, START will offer buyers projects in different genres: from classic drama to historical epic, which take into account the peculiarities of the regional market in terms of themes and storylines, and which therefore may be of interest to local partners.
For several years, All Media (a START company) has been cooperating with distributors who regularly release films from the company’s catalog in MENA. The family comedy Superfamily: Better Than Avengers, the large-scale historical saga The Conquest of Siberia, and the action-drama Saving Leningrad have appeared in cinemas. At the DICM market, the company is betting on the family comedy Chebi: My Fluffy Friend, the fantasy adventure Red Riding Hood, the upcoming action film Litvyak, and the thriller Live. All Media will also present one of its own productions—the thriller Tibra. The company plans to close deals for these films in key areas of the region.
The production company SREDA is betting on the crime drama Chimera. Based on the company’s sales experience, dynamic action projects are popular in the Arab region. Earlier, Sreda sold two seasons of the series The Method in MENA. At the DICM market, the company’s representatives set themselves the task of better understanding the local market, audience preferences, and the overall reaction to Russian content.
Pimanov & Partners is counting on the success of the football drama Eleven Silent Men, which was released in 2022. The plot is based on the story of the legendary Dynamo Moscow tour of the UK in 1945, where they played a series of matches against the best British teams, including Chelsea and Arsenal. The film will be of particular interest to football fans, since all sports scenes were filmed during real games. The interest of international buyers from the MENA region in this sports drama will be boosted by the World Cup, which is taking place in Qatar. The representatives of the company also hope that the fantasy comedy Dolly the Sheep Was Angry and Died Early will attract the interest of Arab buyers, since the film tells of the complexities of relationships between different generations, a universal theme for international audiences. Pimanov & Partners will also present two documentaries.
Among the projects from NTV, one of the top Russian broadcasters, are four action-packed series which will showcase Russian content. The sports drama Kamaz. Extreme Racing, the plot of which revolves around the story of the strongest team “KAMAZ-master”, the world’s best racing drivers in the class of sports trucks; the historical detective story Noble Detective, which takes viewers to St. Petersburg at the end of the 19th century; the melodrama Dr. Driver. New Season; and the detective story Hitman’s Curse, which tells the story of a former policeman who embarks on the path of revenge. Other projects will also be presented.
KION online cinema will present a large-scale historical drama Union of Salvation. The Age of Wrath about the Decembrist uprising of 1825, the comedy drama The Kidney, and the family comedy Ivan Semenov – The School Trouble-maker!
SMF Animation will bring to DICM Detective Chirp and the Golden Beehive, the world’s first full-length animated film created entirely on a game engine; Monsikids, The Secrets of Honey Hills, I’ll Get You!, and The Adventures of Peter and Wolf. Previously, in the MENA market, the company has sold (through the distributor Cyber Group) the animated series Orange Moo-Cow.
Parovoz Animation Studio will be represented at the DICM market by three animated series, for which it is looking for partners in co-production – Tweetville (in production), Spaceport and Boo the Cat and the Good Boy (under development). According to company representatives, this market provides an excellent opportunity to establish partnerships in the MENA region, as it has a rich creative and business potential. The company expects that DICM will help them find new creative ideas and projects at the crossroads of European and Middle Eastern cultures.
Digital Television Russia will present their flagship projects – Be-be-bears, Fantasy Patrol, Puppies & Kittens, and Leo & Tig (produced by Parovoz Animation studio). The company has been working with the MENA region for many years.
X-Media Digital expects to attract the attention of buyers with the company’s animated series Princess play time and Cars, Cars. The company is looking for partners in the MENA region and is interested in cooperation with TV channels, online cinemas, and independent distributors.
