Hype Film, the production company behind Kirill Serebrennikov’s Cannes competition title “Petrov’s Flu,” has signed a first-look deal with IVI, the largest Russian VOD platform.
As part of the two-year deal, Hype Film will develop 10 and produce at least two Russian-language scripted shows exclusively for IVI, which boasts more than 59 million unique visitors per month.
Vadim Sokolovsky, head of IVI Originals, said: “Hype Film is a recognizable brand name in the Russian and international film industry. For the last 10 years the company has been producing such critically acclaimed projects as Vadim Perelman’s ‘Persian Lessons’ and Kirill Serebrennikov’s ‘Leto,’ to name a few. IVI Originals’ strategy is to give emerging and established artists an opportunity to realize their most ambitious projects with IVI. We are happy that Hype Film shares this vision with us.”
“Content is king right now. We hope that with Hype Film’s projects we can attract viewers who value artistic quality in films and series,” added Ilya Burets, IVI Originals chief creative officer.
Ilya Stewart, Hype Film co-founder and producer said: “We are very excited to be launching the television arm of our company, and couldn’t be happier to be doing so alongside the fantastic IVI Originals team, who completely share our creative vision and approach to filmmaking. We are looking forward to bringing fresh and daring stories to the screen together.”
As previously reported, Hype Film is producing a limited series based on the life of legendary Soviet filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky, written and directed by Serebrennikov. Serebrennikov’s latest feature, “Petrov’s Flu,” is a deadpan, hallucinatory romp through a post-Soviet Russia in the grips of a mysterious flu pandemic. His last film, the rock musical “Leto,” played in competition in Cannes in 2018.