The Russian film "The Abyss" will be released in South Korea

The Russian psychological thriller "The Abyss" produced by the film companies "Hydrogen" and Art Pictures Studio is entering the international market: the film will be presented in cinemas in South Korea, and after the completion of wide distribution it will be available on local television and online platforms. The exclusive distributor of digital and television rights, as well as the foreign distributor of the film, is Art Pictures Distribution (part of the National Media Group holding).

"We are glad that the Abyss is starting its international journey from South Korea. For us, this is an important step in promoting the painting outside of Russia. The South Korean market has a strong interest in spectacular and dynamic cinema, so we see good prospects for the film. Behind the large-scale production and intense plot is an emotional story with a universal theme of relationships and choice, which is understandable to viewers in different countries. We are confident that The Abyss will resonate with the Korean audience," said Anastasia Korchagina, CEO of Art Pictures Distribution.

The story centers on Dasha and Sasha, who go on a honeymoon and decide to parachute into the mountains. However, the pilot of their plane unexpectedly turns out to be Dasha's former lover Artyom. After the plane crash, the heroes miraculously stay alive, but are trapped above the abyss. Now the heroes will not only have to fight for their lives, but also understand their own feelings.

The main roles in "The Abyss" were played by Mark Edelstein, Tina Stoilkovich and Stepan Belozerov. The project proved to be a serious challenge for the actors: the actors performed part of the parachute jumps on their own, and during filming they had to spend up to nine hours in safety systems.

The creators paid special attention to the physical authenticity of what was happening. A 12-meter cliff was built for filming, and the real An-2 aircraft was mounted on a special platform that allowed it to simulate flight and turbulence. The most difficult scenes were filmed in Dagestan, including episodes with water, falls and skydiving.

"Almost all the stunts were performed by the actors themselves — for me it was a crucial moment. Every filming shift, we had some kind of elaborate stunt, and everyone on set knew that someone's life was at stake. That's why I admire the courage of stuntmen, parachutists and, most of all, our actors. To make you understand how extreme the actual jumps were, during one of the takes at an altitude of two thousand meters, Artyom's character had his sneakers blown off by the wind. After this shift, I got my first gray hair!" said director Alexei Ionov.

At the same time, large—scale extreme scenes are needed not only for entertainment - the director uses them to reveal the characters' characters more deeply and exacerbate their emotional conflict. As a result, "The Abyss" combines elements of a psychological thriller, a survival story, and a love drama.

The film was released in the Russian box office on May 28 and collected more than 64 million rubles. Since July 25, "The Abyss" has been available on the online platforms Wink, Okko, Ivi, KION and Kinopoisk. Now "The Abyss" will continue its journey outside the country: after its release in South Korean cinemas, the film will appear on local television and online platforms.

The film was produced by Art Pictures Studio and Vodorod film companies, as well as the Commercial Fund for the Development of Cinema and Animation (KFRKA) with the support of the Cinema Foundation. The distributor of cinema rights in the territories of the Russian Federation and the CIS is NMG Kinoprokat.

"They didn't want to hire me because I don't speak Russian well"

Actress Tina Stojilkovic — about filming in The Abyss, classes with Zhora Kryzhovnikov and the Serbs in Russian cinema

In June, the Russian-Chinese film "Red Silk" was shown as part of the International Chinese Film Festival, which took place in Moscow, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok. The film has become one of the most notable international Russian-Chinese film projects in recent years. It received the status of a national film in both Russia and China and, thanks to Chinese distribution, became the most successful Russian film abroad in 2025.

Prior to that, on March 19, Andrei Volgin, the director of the Red Silk film, told Izvestia that the film crew had begun work on the sequel to the Russian-Chinese film. The new project is called "Black Silk". It was noted that filming takes place both in Russia and in China.