FILM.UA Unveils Crime Drama Nest of Snakes

Ukraine’s FILM.UA Group presented the true-crime drama series Nest of Snakes at the MIA Market in Rome.

Based on the story of the Ivaniutins, a family that made serial killing a family business in late-Soviet Kyiv, Nest of Snakes was the only Ukrainian series to be picked up by MIA’s Drama Co-production Market & Pitching Forum. Anastasiia Lodkina is the series’ creator, while Kateryna Vyshnevska serves as the producer.

The Ivaniutin family was responsible for over 40 cases of poisoning, resulting in 13 deaths. Taking place in the late ’80s, Nest of Snakes also examines other families who are introduced during the investigation. The series was co-created with Ukrainian scriptwriter Maryana Bek.

Lodkina said: “After the Chernobyl series by HBO, many of our international colleagues wondered why we, Ukrainians, weren’t the ones to tell this story to the world. I think that Nest of Snakes is exactly the story that we should bring to the world. When the events described in the series took place, I was 5-years-old, living under the illusion that the USSR was the best country in the world. Yet at that very time, there was a family of serial killers operating in Kyiv, passing the knowledge of how to poison people from parent to child. And my and Kateryna’s experience at MIA has confirmed beyond doubt that this story has a global appeal.”

Vyshnevska said: “Now that Koza Nostra is done, it’s good to be back at MIA with a new project. At this market, in particular, one could unmistakably sense strong global interest in Cold War and Eastern European-set stories, as confirmed by the winning entry—Gold War by Agitprop, a great Bulgarian company, and our partner on another project—Babyland. Their win is great news for us, too, because Nest of Snakes definitely satisfies the appetite for this kind of storytelling. And we are happy to bring to the global audience a high-profile story about a family who made serial killing a family business, set in a distinct yet recognizable time and place—post-Chernobyl catastrophe Kyiv, Ukraine.”