Russian film companies summed up the results of their participation in the international film market Telefilm Vietnam, which was held in June in Ho Chi Minh City.
The Russian Content Worldwide (RCW) booth was organized by ROSKINO, the Russian film promotion body; in total, more than 80 projects from 18 companies were presented. Representatives of Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, India and other countries were interested in Russian cinema. Russian companies held almost 230 meetings with foreign content buyers. The most popular genres were animation, action, historical series, thrillers, military dramas, as well as documentaries dedicated to popular science, history, travel and nature. There is a growing interest among Asian partners in co-production in the field of animation.
Among the Russian projects that the Asian audience will soon see are the animated seriesI’ll Get You! Holidays and Rockoons, the thrillers The Vacant Life of a Chef,Yaiduiskatand When She Comes, the historical series Ekaterina, the documentary series Space Flight, Incredible Science and Mysteries of History, the action-movies TheSilver Spoon and The Silver Spoon goes South and others. Negotiations are ongoing on many projects.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
FILMS AND SERIES
Stella Releasecompany is now discussing the theatrical release in Vietnam and Hong Kong of a number of thrillers: The Vacant Life of a Chef, YaIduIskat, and When She Comes. The Chinese buyers were interested in the new melodrama Longer than a Day, about the love story of a Kazakh girl and a French travel photographer; the ballet drama The Four Seasons; and the military drama Convoy 48.
Among the projects from Russia Television and Radio being considered for distribution to the Asian market is the historical series Ekaterinathat has a record success in the international market (104 countries).Starting from the first season (2014), the saga of Catherine the Great has been in distribution for almost 10 years. The first two seasons have already been shown on Vietnamese TV, and the third season is being prepared for release. The documentary Space Flight will also soon appear on Vietnamese TV.
Odin Media said that films and series devoted to popular science and history (Mysteries of History, Incredible Science, etc.), as well as travel and wildlife (The Great North Way, Depth Hunters) were popular. In terms of fiction content, costumed historical dramas (Margarita Nazarova, The Queen of Tigers; The Tolstoy Defense), and the detective films and action series (French Spy, Psychic) attracted the attention of buyers. As a result of the market, the Vietnamese distributors have selected more than 150 hours of documentary and game content, and a package of lifestyle programs is being discussed with the Vietnamese broadcaster. The company is also expecting an offer from the Hong Kong distributor for drama and detective series.
START online cinema launched five original series at the Telefilm Vietnam market. Representatives of Vietnam and Hong Kong singled out the projects Sisters and Eva in Labor for their extraordinary plot and visuals; the mystical series Passengers aroused interest from buyers from Singapore. START is continuing negotiations on new deals and in the near future, online cinema projects may find audiences in Asia.
Representatives of NTV Broadcasting Company said that Vietnamese companies have shown great interest in drama, action, and historical series. There is a serious interest in non-scripted TV shows, documentaries, and series—the detective story The Killer, the melodrama Dr.Driver and the historical detective story Noble Detective, which takes place in St. Petersburg at the beginning of the 20th century.
Sredaproduction company noted that the greatest interest arose in the series Patient Zero; the headliner of the company—the series TheSilver Spoon, and Trotsky; the films TheSilver Spoon and The Silver Spoon goes Southand the festival film Tell Her. The large Chinese media holding Qirun International Group is also interested in buying the films TheSilver Spoon and The Silver Spoon goes South. Sreda is now also negotiating with Harbor Rights to present the company’s projects in Asia, and with Visionfly in Vietnam and India. The distributor Visionary International Media is interested in introducing Sreda’s catalog to Taiwan.
Art Pictures Distribution presented a thriller The Ragefor the first time in the Asian market, and negotiations are underway on this project with a number of territories. The company expects that the new dynamic thriller, which keeps the viewer in suspense until the very end, will be of interest to the Asian audience. Previously, the company sold a number of films in the sci-fi genre (Attraction, Invasion, Sputnik, and others) to the Vietnamese market.
For Planeta Inform Group, the Telefilm Vietnam market was also busy. Buyers from Vietnam were interested in the new thriller Centaur and the full-length family cartoon Wings 2. The real-life thriller Lost in the North, the drama The Elephant, and the thriller The Hunterwere in demand among Chinese distributors.
For Pimanov&Partners, participation in the Telefilm Vietnam market was their first experience in the region. The buyers were especially interested in the full-length sports drama Eleven Silent Men, the TV series Zhukov, and the documentary project Unknown Kremlin. Stories, Legends, Facts. Representatives of the company held meetings with potential partners from China, India, South Korea, Hong Kong. Negotiations are ongoing with the aim of finalizing agreements.
RusskoeFilm Companypresented five projects at Telefilm Vietnam, of which the headliners were the modern romantic comedies The Cruel World of Men and The Right Guy to Marry. However, the TV series Torgsin. Trade House, a retro-crime detective story about the NEP era in the USSR, and the military drama about the Great Patriotic War Heavy Armor aroused the greatest interest.
ANIMATION
Animation companies presented 25 projects at the Telefilm Vietnam market. The market for SMFAnimationwas productive. The company entered into a deal with Vietnam Satellite Digital Television Company (VSTV) for the animated series I’ll Get You! Holidays and Rockoons. In August and September of this year, the projects will appear on the satellite children’s TV channel K + KIDS, and in the K + app for online viewing. As representatives of SMF noted, the animated series I’ll Get You! Holidays aroused the greatest interest among buyers, since the Soviet project I’ll Get You!was very popular in Vietnam in the 1980s-1990s. FPT Play, the largest OTT platform in Vietnam, with which cooperation is already underway, was interested in the new seasons of the series TheSecrets of Honey Hills, The Adventures of Peter and Wolf and other projects.
VoronezhAnimation studio said that representatives of companies from Southeast Asia are interested in co-production with Russia in creating animation. The studio presented the fifth part of the Snow Queen franchise The Snow Queen & The Princess; an animated series for teenagers The Steel Family: Brotherhood vs Gold; and a new full-length project under development, Arctic Heroes. As part of cooperation with CJ E&M Corporation, an agreement was signed for the theatrical release of The Snow Queen & The Princess in Vietnam—release dates to be confirmed.
RIKI Group presented serial projects to international buyers – The Fixies, Tina and Tony, Beardy Bodo, as well as the Finnick franchise. At meetings with partners from Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan, India and China, the possibilities of content distribution to the countries of the APAC region, co-production, as well as the possibility of co-investment were discussed. Negotiating companies included Cheers Media, Box Asia, Muse Communication, Zee, Viacom 18, Sunwoo&Company, ACE Fair, Planus Company, RAPA, BH Media, Golden Egg Entertainment and others.
Animation for preschoolers was one of the most popular themes among Asian buyers at Telefilm Vietnam. Companies from Vietnam, Hong Kong, China and South Korea were interested in the animated series Puppies&Kittensand Be-be-bears from Digital Television Russia. Also popular were the flagship projects of Digital Television Russia—Leo and Tig and Fantasy Patrol. Negotiations are currently underway and the terms of the deals are being discussed.
Representatives of the YARKO Animation company spoke about their interest in animation for preschool children, as well as in 3D projects. In the Telefilm Vietnam market, the company introduced the animated series Dragonia, Team M.A.T.C.H., Fly Deliveries and Tickabo, which had a successful launch in Russia. To date, the flagship project of the studio Tommy the Little Dragonis already available in Thailand. By the end of the year, it is planned to launch the project in China.
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