On March 26, the Association of Film and Television Producers (APKIT) announced the results of the IX Awards for Achievements in Television and Film Production for 2020. The awards ceremony was held in a mixed format: producers were in the Channel Five studio, while nominees appeared online. Garik Martirosyan and Irina Petrova hosted the event, which revealed the “culprits” behind the most successful films and TV series of 2020.
Gazprom Media’s series and films received eight APKIT awards, including major awards for best screenplay and best feature film and the special prize For Films That Save Lives.
TNT, 1-2-3 Production and PREMIER
The creative team behind the series Pereval Dyatlova (Dead Mountain: The Dyatlov Pass Incident) received four APKIT awards. This project was made by the 1-2-3 Production studio, Lego Felix and TNT. Heads of 1-2-3 Production Valeriy Fedorovich (channel director of TV-3) and Evgeny Nikishov (chief producer of TV-3) produced and directed it.
Written by Ilya Kulikov, known for hits such as Politseysky s Rublyovki (Policeman from Rublyovka), Chernobyl. Zona Otchuzhdeniya (Chernobyl. Exclusion Zone), and Avanpost (Blackout), along with Vasily Vnukov and Aleksandr Sysoev, the show won Best Screenplay.
Pereval Dyatlova also won Best Visual Effects due to the work of 1-2-3 Production VFX (Ilya Shutov) and Amalgama VFX, as well as Best Sound Editing thanks to Roman Platonov, Dmitry Kliminov and Alexey Sinitsyn. Pyotr Fedorov, who played the lead role, won Best Actor in a Series.
TNT premiered Pereval Dyatlova in November 2020 as part of its premium film series lineup at 22:00. Its TV viewership share was 16%, according to Mediascope data (Russia, cities with a population of 100,000+, audience aged 14–44). Moreover, it was among the Top 10 most popular series among viewers aged 14–44 in 2020.
In just eight episodes, it tells the tragic story of nine tourists who perished in the Ural Mountains on the night of February 1–2, 1959. A mix of mystical drama and documentary thriller, the series is also unique in that it shows two storylines which alternate from episode to episode. The first storyline focuses on the investigation by KGB Major Oleg Kostin, while the second gives a detailed and realistic account of what tourists’ day-to-day lives before their mysterious disappearance—at university, getting ready for their trip, and the expedition itself.
The series #SIDYADOMA (#STAYINGHOME) looks at the phenomenon of remote work experienced during the coronavirus pandemic: filmed during Russia’s lockdown, it won Best Comedy Series. Created by 1-2-3 Production studio, it became the first sitcom to be filmed in the unique screen-life format, where all the action and communication between the characters takes place through video conference calls. Valeriy Fedorovich, Evgeny Nikishov and Alexander Robak produced the series, taking ten days to make the first episode, from developing the idea to its release on the video service.
Tatyana Dogileva was recognized as Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the series Obychnaya Zhenshina 2 (An Ordinary Woman 2). The second season was released exclusively on the PREMIER video service in 2020, with TV-3 holding the television premiere of the first season at the same time.
All APKIT award winners, Pereval Dyatlova, #SIDYADOMA, and Obychnaya Zhenshina 2, are available exclusively on PREMIER.
Another series that 1-2-3 Production worked on, Mertvye Dushi (Dead Souls) by Grigory Konstantinopolsky, won Best Miniseries (1–4 episodes). Star Timofey Tribuntsev won Best Supporting Actor. The Mertvye Dushi series is part of the IVI Originals and TNT lineup and was produced by Valeriy Fedorovich, Evgeny Nikishov and Alexander Plotnikov.
GPM KIT
The film Serebryannye Konki (The Silver Skates) won Best Feature Film. Made by Central Partnership, GPM KIT, Kinoslovo and Nikita Mikhalkov’s TRITE Studio with the participation of Russia 1 TV, it was released in Russian movie theaters on December 10, 2020, and takes place in Christmastime St. Petersburg on the eve of the 20th century.
The Association of Film and Television Producers also awarded the special prize For Films That Save Lives to Doctor Lisa, made by KIT Film Studio and IVAN Production Center in partnership with NTV, with the participation of Take Shot film company, and with support from Russia’s Ministry of Culture. Rafael Minasbekyan, Janik Fayziev, Alexander Bondarev and Timur Weinstein are the film’s chief producers.
Doctor Lisa, directed by Oksana Karas (Khoroshii Malchik/The Good Boy), shows a day in the life of charity worker Elizaveta Petrovna Glinka, and the screenplay was based on her diaries and the memories of family and friends. Chulpan Khamatova stars as Glinka alongside Konstantin Khabensky, Andrei Burkovsky, Timofey Tribuntsev, Yulia Aug, and Tatyana Dogileva.