«VERSUS»

ACTION DRAMA WITH ALEXEY CHADOV AND OXANA AKINSHINA

OPENS THE AMERICAN FILM MARKET

Status: work-in-progres

Screening date: November 8, 2015

Time: 1p.m.

Directed by: Nurbek Egen

Cast:

Alexey Chadov as Victor Stroev

Oxana Akinshina as Vera

Anton Shagin as Shark

Sergey Chirkov as Alik

Igor Sklyar as Borisych  

Nikita Panfilov as Soldier

Manuel Rivera – Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef – a former It's Showtime 85MAX World Champion in kickboxing and the Cage Rage World Light Heavyweight Champion in MMA.  

Russia, 2016

Original sound, 110 minutes.

OST: Elizaveta

Production: Russian World Studios aka RWS.

Sales in Russia, Ukraine and CIS: Central Partnership

Trailer: https://youtu.be/WZvdIk3QDW4

On November 8^th, VERSUS feature film directed by Nurbek Egen will be presented to the industry professionals and guests of the American Film Market in sunny Santa Monica, California from November 4^th to November 11^th.

This action feature starring Alexey Chadov, Oxana Akinshina and Anton Shagin will be released in Russia next fall.

VERSUS touches lots of themes: sport, people’s strengths and weaknesses, honor and backstabbing. But first and foremost it tells a love story.  

Victor Stroev aka Russian Hammer is a youth Mix Fight champion willing to win the main fight of his career – the World Champion title. Hammer is right up there as a chance encounter turning into a fight with a sports mobster Shark ends up to be a tragedy for Victor.

Victor gets into a terrible car crash that makes it doubtful that he will ever be able to go on with his career in sports, any blow can kill him. Vera whom Shark is trying to get, chooses Victor which makes Shark even more furious. Now Shark will do anything to make Russian Hammer get on the ring and make this fight the last one for him. Victor is not used to give up and ready to risk – he has to defend the honor of his country and the woman he loves. Vera realizes she has to betray Victor in order to save him.

Nurbek Egen – an award winner of a few international festivals including Young Artists Awards in Los Angeles (USA), CAMERAIMAGE (Poland), Cinecinecort in Aix-en-Provance, (France), FICMA in Barcelona (Spain) and Moscow Film Festival Saint Anna.
Wedding Chest got an Oscar nomination as the Foreign Language Film in 2005. A short film Sanzhyra (2001) was nominated for the Oscars as the best student’s movie.

Oleg Malovichko, scriptwriter: «It’s not jus some wet work as an experienced cinemagoer may think. This is a story about a victory, which starts inside, in one man’s soul. But this is not as important as love is. Love overcomes everything. There’s nothing stronger than love. It makes evil powers crumble to dust».

Nurbek Egen, director: «This is an action drama about a talented athlete who will do anything for the woman he loves. The movie does have lots of fights and action but it is still a love story. Taking the opponent down is a big deal but not the main focus. The protagonist is fighting his way through to overcome his own fears and win not only in the ring but in life too, and this fight will be rewarded with the most precious prize – love».

Maxim Osadchiy, DoP: «When we started working on the movie I was expecting that it’s going to be another story about a hero who overcomes obstacles and defeats his enemies. But as we were moving forward I realized there was a punch line, which put this story on to a totally different level of a high drama. Our hero has to get rid off his weaknesses and defeat not only his enemies but his own self first and foremost».

Sergey Machilsky, DoP: «I haven’t had such a large-scale project in my career. Yes, I shot some fights and car chases but they were all scaled-down. This movie was a totally different thing. It has a lot of CG and action. I enjoyed working with such a great team, a great director who is a real professional and got an incredible experience».

Yuri Sapronov, producer: «Five years ago I met with Vasily Shestakov – the president of the International sambo federation, we had a long conversation and during that conversation an idea came out – to make a movie about an ordinary man who was doing sambo, who thanks to his efforts and the will to win becomes a legend. We invited Oleg (Malovichko), discussed this idea with him and Oleg agreed to write the script. It took us long enough to polish the story and finally we made a movie about love. You gotta love your woman, your family and your country to achieve something. Victor Stroev has to suffer a lot, make tough decisions to finally get it – you must risk to find love and never give up».

Vadim Vereshchagin, distribution director, Central Partnership: «When Yuri Sapronov showed us the teaser we immediately understood we should get the movie, we believed in it».

Director: Nurbek Egen

Featured filmography – A Wedding Chest.

DoP: Maxim Osadchiy

Featured filmography – The Ninth Company, Kitty, Cococo, Stalingrad.

DoP: Sergey Machilsky

Featured filmography  – Heavenly Trial, Mirrors, Shagal – Malevich.  

Scriptwriter: Oleg Malovichko

Featured filmography – Ladoga, Vasilisa, Ghost, Method.   

Composer: Paul Mills

Featured filmography – Against The Sun, War Room, Woodlawn.  

Production designer: Yevgeny Kachanov

Editor: Sean Albertson

Featured filmography: Rocky Balboa, Rambo IV, Warrior, Vampire Diaries, Killing Season, Expendables 3, Against The Sun.

Producer: Yuri Sapronov

Produced by: Russian World Studios/RWS 2015.

Cast: Alexey Chadov (Victor Stroev), Oxana Akinshina (Vera), Anton Shagin (Shark), Sergey Chirkov (Alik), Igor Sklyar (Borisych), Nikita Panfilov (Soldier), Melvin Manhoef (Manuel Rivera).

Creative Group Filmography

Oleg Malovichko – scriptwriter.

Filmography:

Waiting – short film, 2004

Phillip’s Bay - miniseries, 2005

Private Order - series, 2007

Real Dad, 2007

Vice, 2007

Plan B – series, 2007

House Spirit, 2008

Crazy Love - series, 2008

About Love – short film, 2008

Pick-up: without any rules, 2009

For Kids Under 16, 2010

Fir trees – movie almanac, 2010

Monkey Business, 2010

The Roadside House, 2010

Jungles, 2012

Without A Trace - series, 2012

Ladoga – miniseries, 2013

Vasilisa, 2013

Last Summer, 2013

Joyful Fellas, 2014

Fir Trees 1914, 2014

Locust, 2014

Ghost, 2015

Method - series, 2015

Nurbek Egen – director. Nurbek Egen was born on December 3, 1975 in Kirgizia. Egen’s parents wanted their son to become a scientist and made him attend a math school but Nurbek chose his own path and after school entered the actor’s department of the Institute of Art in Bishkek. Two years later Nurbek realized that the acting career was not his ultimate dream, moved to Moscow and successfully entered the All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography. After graduation in 2001 Nurbek shot a movie Sanzhyra which was nominated by the Academy Awards as the Best Student’s Film. In 2005 yet another Nurbek’s feature film The Ancestors’ Chest was nominated as the Best Foreign Language Film by the Academy Awards and received the Best International Drama award at the Young Artists Awards Festival in Los Angeles. Apart from feature films Nurbek also directs television projects, his 12 episode drama Moving On was a hit in Ukraine and will soon air on Channel One Russia.     

Filmography:

Sanzhyra – short film, 2001

The Invisible Sign - series, 2001

The Willis - miniseries, 2002

«Late Dinner with… - series, 2002

Wedding Chest, 2005

Netwrok - series, 2008

Fighters Don’t Feel Pain, 2010

Kolatchi, 2011

Empty House, 2012

Moving On - series, 2013

The Mine, 2013

Maxim Osadchy – DoP. Maxim graduated from the All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography. He started shooting commercials and music videos and them moved on to movies.

Filmography:

President and His Granddaughter, 1999

Triumph, 2000

The Ninth Company, 2005

Money Day, 2006

Heat, 2006

Pussy Cat, 2009

Not so desert island, 2009

Mo men, 2010

Two Days, 2011

Cococo, 2012

Sex, coffee, cigarettes, 2013

Stalingrad, 2013

Sergey Machilsky – DoP. In 1983 Sergey graduated from  the All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography. In 1993 together with the Russian DoPs Yuri Lyubshin, Yuri Raiskiy and Yuri Shaigardnov Sergey founded the Association of the Russian DoPs.

Filmography:

The Man Who Knew Everything, 2009

The Man Near Window, 2009

Pussy Cat, 2009

Obsessed, 2009

Classmates, 2010

Heavenly Court, 2011

The White Guard, 2012

Mirrors, 2013

Shagal – Malevich, 2013

Everybody’s gone, 2013

Adventurers, 2014

Heavenly Court. Season 2, 2014

Hunting crocodiles, 2014

Contribution, 2015

Tikhonov the Investigator, 2015

Paul Mills – an American composer. Paul’s filmography has more than 20 features and documentaries.

Sean Albertson – an American editor who worked on: Rocky Balboa, Rambo IV, Warrior, Killing Season, Expendables 3 and many others. 

Russian World Studios/RWS – one of the largest private film companies in Russia. Its main focus is on film and TV series production and production services. RWS works with leading Russian networks such as Channel One, Russia, Channel 5 and REN TV). RWS’s library has more than 1500 hours of films and TV shows, lots of shows are the prize winners and have been aired not only in Russia but abroad too.

Central Partnership – one of the major film distributors in Russia. The company’s library ranges from the best examples of the local films as well as European and American movies. In February 2014 Central Partnership has become the part of the Gazprom Media Holding.