“Tunnel”
Flyuza Farkhshatova’s series centers on Svetlana (Elizaveta Boyarskaya), a principled and incorruptible customs officer for whom law and order are paramount. But everything changes when a foreign mafia kidnaps her husband, Ruslan (Sergey Gilev). To save her beloved, Svetlana must violate her own values and smuggle contraband abroad. Unexpectedly, her comrades-in-arms become those she considered criminals, and her good intentions become only the first step toward a life of crime. The first episodes of the new crime drama are now available on KION.
“Kidney”
This drama starring Lyubov Aksenova tells the story of fire inspector Natalya Kustova, accustomed to living the high life. An expensive car, a luxurious apartment, and luxury clothing—much of this is thanks to her work, as every inspection she performs ends in a handsome payday. She won’t hesitate to take money even from her own family. But during a routine medical examination, it turns out that Natalya urgently needs a kidney transplant. Ironically, only a blood relative can be a donor, but no one is in a hurry to donate their organ for a cynical bribe-taker. Neither corruption, nor money, nor connections can help the girl—and so the most extravagant means are used in the fight for life. In 2025, the third season of the series was released, where the heroine’s ambition, cunning, and ingenuity once again erase all barriers.
True Detective. Night Country
The fourth season of True Detective moved the legendary anthology to the dark, icy expanse of Alaska during the polar night. In this atmosphere of impenetrable darkness, a terrifying investigation begins: eight employees of an Arctic research station disappear without a trace. Police Chief Liz Danvers (Judie Foster) and her partner Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) are forced not only to solve the case, but also to confront their own demons, mistrust of each other, and ancient secrets buried beneath the eternal ice. True Detective became famous thanks to the first season with Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey, but Night Country broke viewership records and turned gender stereotypes upside down, making the detectives female and the victims male.
Mildred Pierce
The five-part film adaptation of the American novel by James Cain tells the story of housewife Mildred Pierce, who, during the Great Depression, left alone with two daughters after her husband left, does not give up and decides to build her life from scratch. When attempts to find a regular job end in failure, Mildred, thanks to her culinary skills, begins baking pies – first selling them in a diner, and later in her own restaurant. The gradual success of her business gives her financial independence, but does not bring peace of mind, because all this time she has to earn the love and respect of her eldest daughter, Veda, who is ashamed of her mother’s “low” profession. For this complex and tragic role, the brilliant Kate Winslet received a Golden Globe.
“Conclusion”
Brilliant surgeon Vera Elagina (Victoria Isakova) wrote a patient a fake prescription for a strong painkiller, which is why she was brought to trial. She will have to spend four years not in prison, but in unpaid service as a forensic expert, under the supervision of experienced investigator Pakhomov (Dmitry Kulichkov), because of whom she almost ended up behind bars. Instead of quietly doing her job, Vera takes on her own investigation into a brutal murder that may have involved Pakhomov’s colleagues. At the same time, she tries to mend her relationship with her teenage daughter and her ex-husband, who left her for a young nurse. Through eight unpredictable episodes, “Conclusion” tells the inspiring story of an unwavering woman whose principles conflict with the moral compromises of those around her.
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
“The Handmaid’s Tale” is a dystopian novel set in the totalitarian republic of Gilead. With the birth rate plummeting, “fertile” women are being relegated to the status of “handmaids”—deprived of their rights, property, and freedom, forced to bear children for the ruling elite. After fulfilling their duty, a handmaid must part with her child and serve new masters. The protagonist, June (Elisabeth Moss), struggles to survive, maintain her identity, and find the daughter taken from her after the coup. This dramatic series is based on the novel of the same name by Canadian writer Margaret Atwood and explores themes of female oppression, motherhood, and the struggle against the system.
“Crime”
In a small seaside town, a young girl is brutally murdered. Investigator Sasha Moskvina (Darya Moroz) was planning to move to Moscow to be with her fiancé, but her personal life had to be put on hold. Together with her new partner, Andrei Chistyakov (Pavel Priluchny), she remains to investigate the crime, facing betrayal, cynicism, and unpredictable twists of fate. The case implicates the victim’s parents’ family, relatives, school friends, and business acquaintances. “Crime” is a Russian adaptation of the popular Danish thriller “The Killing,” in which a professional detective investigates a high-profile case. As in many Scandinavian noir series, the crime story centers on a strong woman fighting a cruel world.
Hande Erçel presented the film in Moscow: “Waiting proposals from Russian directors!”
Olga Sutulova, Yuri Bykov, Elena Nikolaeva and others at the brunch of the auteur film festival “Winter”
