First feature series about SMO was shown at WYF

On 6 March 2024, the series “20/22” was shown at the World Youth Festival in Sirius. Guests and participants of the Festival saw a film dedicated to the events of the special military operation and filmed in the area where it took place. After viewing, the audience took part in a discussion of the film with director Andrei Simonov, producer Andrei Kretov and the actors playing the main roles The authors of the official soundtrack for the series – ST and Sergei Nikhaenko also took part in the discussion.

Military drama directed by Andrei Simonov shows the events of 2022 - the beginning of the special military operation - and how they were perceived by various people at that moment, what decisions and life choices they were driven to. The series premiered on February 22 in Moscow. And on March 6, the film was seen by participants of the World Youth Festival in Sirius. After a special screening as part of the Festival program, a discussion of the film took place. The audience's questions about the filming process were answered by director Andrei Simonov and producer Andrei Kretov, actors Aristarkh Venes, Vladimir Karpuk and Dmitry Bogdan, as well as the creators of the soundtrack - the song “Thoughts” – ST and Sergei Nikhaenko

“You cannot be indifferent to what is happening. Those who do not understand what is happening should visit Donetsk - it will shake your soul. The biggest challenge was that we subtly convey the essence of history without shame and without the propaganda that our country is accused of,” notes Aristakh Venes.

The plot is based on the fate of two young people - Alice (Daria Kukarskikh) and Danila (Aristarchus Venes). The message about the beginning of the SMO divides the lovers on opposite sides of the barricades: the guy goes as a volunteer to the combat zone, where his brother is already serving, and the girl learns about the bombings in Kyiv from her Ukrainian friends and opposes the special operation. However, when Danila stops communicating, Alisa goes to the SMO zone to look for him.

In the spring of 2023, filming of the series took place in Mariupol. So the cameras caught impressive shots of the city and images of its inhabitants. Scenes were also filmed in Moscow, Moscow and Rostov regions.

The main and episodic roles in the series are played by young artists who have already made a name for themselves in Russian film distribution: Aristarkh Venes, Daria Kukarskikh, Vladimir Karpuk, Sergei Cherdantsev, Georgy Solodovnik, Alexander Yugov, Alexey Shevchenkov and others. In many episodes real participants of the SMO and residents of Mariupol took part. Also taking part in the filming were war correspondents Pavel Chuprin and Semyon Pegov, who played themselves.

On February 22, 2024, the series was first seen by viewers of the online platform https://1tv.ru/, and on February 23 and 24, Channel One showed it in the format of a mini-series. The series was produced by BBG film company with the support of Voenkino, the Administration of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Internet Development Institute (IDI). The film is now available for viewing on the online platform at the link: https://www.1tv.ru/movies/20-22movie

The World Youth Festival is taking place on the federal territory of Sirius from March 1 to March 7, 2024 in accordance with the Decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin in order to develop international youth cooperation. The organizer of the World Youth Festival is the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh), the operator of WYF-2024 is the Directorate of the World Youth Festival. The Tavrida Art Cluster acts as a content partner of the event and presents in the Festival program a series of projects demonstrating the achievements of young art in contemporary Russia.

 Background Information:

Tavrida.ART is a platform of opportunities that helps young people realize their professional potential in culture and art. Organizer - ANCO "Center for the development of cultural initiatives". Tavrida.ART is a part of the federal project "Youth of Russia" of the national project "Education" and is realized with the support of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh). Tavrida began its history in 2015, when it received the status of the All-Russian Youth Educational Forum. In 2019, Tavrida grew into an art cluster that united educational trips, a festival, a casting platform, a grant competition, a federal network of art residences, an Accelerator of creative projects, the Meganom Academy of Creative Industries and other projects. In 2023, by order of Russian President Vladimir Putin, “Tavrida” was transformed into Russia’s first youth tourism and educational cluster. Work is underway to develop the site and expand the infrastructure.