“MTS Media launches KIONFILM studio for production of movies and TV series

MTS Media, which unites entertainment projects of the MTS digital ecosystem, has announced the creation of its own film studio, KIONFILM. The new division will produce TV series and feature films for the online cinema, as well as for other platforms, TV channels and movie distribution.

The studio plans to produce more than 30 projects per year, including feature films, documentaries, series of various genres and non-scripted shows.

New KIONFILM series

The studio has dozens of scripts in development, including:

• “Capitalists” – a project about key epochs of the Russian economy (together with “Studio VAM”),
• “Captain’s Daughter” – a large-scale adaptation of the classic work (together with Star Media),
• “Dowel’s Island” – a screenplay adaptation by Andrei Zolotaryov (in association with COSMOS Studio),
• “Footprints” – detective drama with Oksana Akinshina and Dmitry Chebotaryov, directed by Sergei Filatov (“Lesson”).

Already completed filming and ready for release:

• “Actorishche” – comedy with Dmitry Nagiyev and Anton Lapenko (together with “Place of Power”),
• “Reservation” – detective drama with Filipp Yankovsky and Denis Shvedov (in association with Team Films),
• “Theater Zone” – comedy with Nikita Kologriv and Oleg Vereshchagin (in association with K.B.A.),
• “Popados” – crime comedy with Makar Khlebnikov and Elizaveta Ishchenko (together with LOOKFILM),
• “Nereality-2” – comedy with Olga Dibtseva, Nikolai Fomenko and Inga Oboldina,
• “Zheka Russell” – comedy with Eldar Kalimulin, Ekaterina Klimova and Sergei Novosad (together with LEGIO FELIX).

Full-length films in production

The studio is also producing movies for distribution. Several projects are currently in the works:

• “Alice in Wonderland” – a musical movie with Anna Peresild, Milos Bikovich and Paulina Andreeva (jointly with Mediaslovo and Gazprom-Media Holding),
• “Heroes of Anecdotes” – folk comedy with Alexei Maklakov, Victor Loginov and Olga Tumaykina,
• “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” – screen adaptation with Elizaveta Moryak, Pavel Priluchny and Nikita Kologriv,
• “Life on Call” – movie with Pavel Priluchny and Liza Moryak (together with “K.B.A.”),
• “Be My Boyfriend” – adventure comedy with Sasha Bortich, Evgeny Kulik and Daniil Vorobyov,
• “Old New Ex” – romantic comedy with Elizaveta Bazykina and Yan Tsapnik (together with KULIK PRODUCTION),
• “Family Happiness” – melodrama with Evgeny Tsyganov, Irina Rozanova and Marietta Tsigal-Polischuk (in association with RockFilms).

Who’s behind KIONFILM Studios

The studio’s general director is Maksim Filatov, who previously headed KION content production and worked on the projects “Khrustalny”, “Pochka”, “Life on Call”, and “Killing Vacation”. Ilya Burets, KION’s creative director, who previously held a similar position at Evie and worked on the films “Gorko!”, “Magomayev”, and “Unprincipled”, has been appointed general producer.

Collaboration with leading production houses

KIONFILM Studio has signed exclusive contracts with major film companies and creative teams:

• KULIK PRODUCTION – showrunners Evgeny Kulik, Alexandra Lupashko, Sergey Naumov,
• LUCKY FILMS – Ivan Rymarev, Georgy Gigashvili,
• Sergei Filatov – director, screenwriter,
• Andrey Djunkovsky and Ilya Ovsenev – directors and showrunners,
• Yulia Savenkova and Nikita Kukartsev – screenwriters.

Studio development and content distribution

The KIONFILM studio is focused not only on creating content for the online cinema KION, but also on the wide distribution of projects. The studio’s series are already being released on federal TV channels and other digital platforms:

Series of the studio are already being released on federal TV channels and other digital platforms.

• “Crystal”, “First Number”, “Mutual Consent” – First Channel,
• “Clinic of Happiness”, “Durov” – online cinema “Evie”,
• “Killing Vacation”, “Tango on Shards” – Start,
• “Kidney”, “Uncle Lyosha” – TNT TV channel.

Sofia Mitrofanova, CEO of MTS Media, said that the launch of KIONFILM was a logical stage in the development of KION as a fast-growing platform with original content:

The launch of KIONFILM is a logical step in the development of KION as a fast-growing platform with original content.

«Now we are taking production into a separate business to scale it and become suppliers of quality content for the entire Russian film industry.»

General Director KION Alexei Ivanov added:

«KION projects have their own recognizable DNA. Within the KIONFILM studio, we intend to preserve it by telling deep stories that are close to the viewer.»

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The launch of KIONFILM is a new stage in the development of the Russian streaming and movie production market. The studio intends to produce serials and movies aimed at the mass audience, offering genre diversity, strong scripts and quality production.

The MTS Media launches KIONFILM studio to produce movies and TV series was first published on ITZine.ru.