about the film

about the film

The director has managed to put together an astonishing mosaic of cultural and historical forms. The film draws inspiration from Homer’s Odyssey, Euripides’ Iphigenia in Tauris, Russian fairy tales, such as the tale of Ivan‑Tsarevich and the Grey Wolf, Astafiev’s The Tsar‑Fish, as well as references to the Russian medieval travel chronicle The Journey Beyond Three Seas, and epic literature.

Yet beneath this symbolic richness lies the story of ordinary people caught in the whirlpool of history and forced to fight for life. In the world of "The Wind", which has endured devastating wars, plagues, and natural disasters, the social order has collapsed, and new moral systems, beliefs, and forms of survival emerge.

“The Wind” is a controversial film that distils the meaning of human existence into one searing question: “How will we go on living?” Like the wind, this question sweeps through the movie, pushing the viewer to seek an answer in the labyrinth of their own thoughts. It’s a poetic meditation on what remains when civilization disappears – and what it means to be human in its aftermath.

SERGEY CHLIYANTS

Producer of iconic Russian movies of 2000‑s such as Bummer, The Tuner, Mama Don’t Cry, Down House, Alive, and many others. A man who knows how to walk a fine line between commercial success and auteur statement.

DIRECTOR

In 1993 Chliyants directed and produced his debut, "In a Straight Line", crime drama based on stories by Sergei Dovlatov. The film won a Kinotavr special prize and an invitation to the Cannes. Then he turned to producing other directors’ movies and made a total of about 40 feature films as a producer.

Returning to directing after decades as a respected producer, "The Wind" marks Chliyants’ long-awaited second directorial feature. His aim is to create a timeless, symbolic narrative that challenges viewers to reflect on the essential questions.

I understand perfectly

well that cinema is a business,

it is the creation of meanings

but first and foremost

Sergey Chliyants

Screenwriters

screenwriters

Petr Lutsyk

Alexey Samoryadov

The script was written in 1993 by the legendary screenwriting tandem of Pyotr Lutsik and Aleksey Samoryadov. Together with "Outskirts" and "Wild Field" – films earlier written by Lutsik and Samoryadov – "The Wind" forms a triptych about life on the Russian outskirts in troubled times.

This is a film about aching fatalism.

It is no longer possible to refuse to do evil,

as well as to avoid retribution for it.

of a finger. As if you never died – just dropped off to sleep

costs almost nothing. But you can also come back to life at the snap

Fortunately, there is a salvational detail:

to kill or die in the story of Lutsik and Samoryadov

MAXIM GREVTSEV, KINO-TEATR.RU

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

A graduate of the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). His credits as a Director of Photography include feature films such as The Return of Kesha the Parrot (2024), Ayta (2022), and Little Chef (2025), as well as TV series like The Diary of Luiza Lozhkina (2016) and You're a Mother! (2020).

Logline

After leaving his young wife Katya at home, fisherman Ivan Morozov sets out on a journey, promising to return with bounty: food, money, and a dress worthy of her beauty. Accompanied by a chance traveler, Sergey Volkov, Ivan must traverse the wondrous Russian wilderness amidst storms and hardship to face a terrible choice that will alter his destiny forever.

Daniil
Feofanov

A rising actor and graduate of the Moscow Art Theatre School, chosen for his raw intensity and psychological depth necessary for a hero balancing on the edge of survival.

Principal cast – Ivan Morozov

Serafima
Goschanskaya

A student of Oleg Kudryashov and a GITIS graduate. Her portrayal captures a mystical dissonance with the surrounding world. The inspiration for the character of Katya was Marina Vlady’s iconic performance in the twilight drama La Sorcière (The Sorceress).

Oleg Vasilkov

A veteran screen actor whose performance earned him Best Actor at the Spirit of Fire Festival.

Principal cast – Sergey Volkov

Nikolai Chindyaykin

Evgeny Kharitonov

Filipp Ilyich — the unspoken leader of the local men

Skovorodnikov — the head of a religious and philosophical community

One of the primary reasons The Wind could not be filmed in the mid-1990s was its sheer production complexity, requiring a vast array of elaborate sets and diverse landscapes. The film was eventually shot across nine regions of Russia, including the Rostov and Volgograd regions, the Caucasus, Taman, and the expansive steppes of Stavropol and Kalmykia.

Despite the logistical hardships caused by the closure of airports in Southern Russia, the production remained committed to its original geography. The natural locations selected for The Wind are unique and irreplaceable; no substitutes could replicate their haunting authenticity.

Music

Dmitry Pavlov

Tais Logvinenko

Gustav Mahler

Nina
Kraviz

Original Score for "The Wind" is written by composer and guitar player Dmitry Pavlov (guitar for Therr Maitz, Megapolis).

Closing song, performed by Tais Logvinenko with lyrics by Polina Orynianskaya, is written specifically for the film, poetically translating metaphors of life and death woven into the story of "The Wind".

The soundtrack also features Cossack folk songs, creating historically accurate, authentic regional vibe.

Classical grandeur, represented by Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8, blends with contemporary electronic music by Nina Kraviz. This genre-crossing soundscape underscores the film’s balance of ancient themes and modern sensibility.

alexander fedenev

sound design by

Year of production: 2025
Production is completed
Rating: 16+

Premiere: 7 March 2025, 23rd Spirit of Fire IFF (Khanty‑Mansiysk, 5–9 March 2025)

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Running time: 123 min
Frame rate: 24 fps
Master format: DCP