DISCOP West Asia Spotlight: Russia Television and Radio

ISTANBUL: The costume melodrama Secrets of the Institute for Noble Maidens is the big launch for SOVTELEEXPORT, the distribution company of Russia Television and Radio.

In the story, the year is 1880 and the Russian Empire is being shaken to its core by terrorism. Revolutionaries plant bombs everywhere, including the Czar’s palace. Only at the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens does life go on as if nothing has changed. This place of education for girls of nobility is filled with curtsies, jokes, laughter and secrets. The 259×44-minute piece is one of several period titles in the company’s catalogue. The mini-series Life and Fate is set in the 1940s. Based on the classic novel of the same name by Vasily Grossman that was banned in the Soviet Union, the characters are involved in the Battle of Stalingrad. From the feature film catalogue comes The Spy, also set in the 1940s.

Julia Matiash, the director of SOVTELEEXPORT, points out that these titles have elaborate sets and decorations, giving them a high-quality look. Also, says Matiash, many of the actors used are already well known in various countries around the world, adding to the programs’ appeal. “The first priorities are the territories of Latin America, the U.S., Canada, Australia and the Middle East,” says Matiash