Film companies Goldfield Entertainment and Fenix Cinema, together with the film distribution company Atmosphere Kino and the Vesta company, announced the completion of filming of the comedy Battle of the Popes directed by Ivan Arkhipov. Filming took place in Sochi for a month, the roles in the film were played by Maxim Lagashkin, Irina Pegova, Lyudmila Artemyeva, Natalya Rudova, Roman Madyanov, Mikhail Tarabukin, Anna Ukolova and Alexander Zlatopolsky. The film will be released on October 17 — especially for Father's Day.
«The atmosphere of the southern city, the sea, the sun immediately gives the viewer the necessary emotions. „Battle of the Dads“ is a warm, bright, funny movie. Even though the film is about disagreements between two families and a real battle between two fathers over how to hold the perfect wedding for their children, the film turns out to be kind and truly family-friendly,» noted the film’s producer Alesya Panteleeva.
According to the plot, lovers Kostya and Masha decide to get married. But immediately problems arise with relatives. Kostya’s father is a retired military man, a straightforward and strong-willed Russian man who plans to rent the House of Officers for a family celebration, invite all his relatives up to the fifth generation and celebrate, as expected, according to the traditions of a Russian feast. Masha’s dad is the owner of a large business who wants to show off in front of his partners and throw a wedding in style somewhere in Dubai. Both dads don’t give a damn about what the children want and what other relatives think. The wedding becomes a real clash of ambitions and a battlefield between two such different, but equally stubborn fathers… The loud conflict attracts the attention not only of reality show producers who dream of a wedding scandal on air, but also of the bandits Tarapunka and Shtepsel, who are going to steal expensive gifts from sponsors right during the wedding.
The roles of fathers who have lost face and dream of drowning each other in Sochi mud baths are comedy superstar Maxim Lagashkin and Alexander Zlatopolsky from the holiday hit «New Year's Ol Inclusive.» Everything was serious on the set, but as the actors joke, «there were no injuries, at most — bruises from a sharp push into the pool.»
«I enjoyed working with Maxim Lagashkin and our entire acting ensemble. Even when it was cold, and Maxim and I had to run after each other in shorts around the pool, the inner fire did not allow us to freeze. The Sochi Park Hotel, where many key scenes were filmed, became not just a location, but a real on-screen partner, so to speak. The atmosphere on the set was cool and very warm, I hope the audience will feel this warmth,» said Alexander Zlatopolsky.
«Family comedies are the best genre to direct. Good paintings are now needed by the viewer. People get tired of what is happening in the world and try to spend more time with their families. Yes, there are conflicts, and in the film „Battle of the Dads“ we show in a comedic way how to resolve them and say that no matter what the disputes, love and mutual understanding always win,» said the film’s director Ivan Arkhipov.
Relatives and opponents of the two reckless fathers are played by Russian cinema stars — from Irina Pegova and Lyudmila Artemyeva to Natalya Rudova and Mikhail Tarabukin.
«In this film, together with Sergei Shtes, we play two swindlers — Tarapunka and Shtepsel, characters who want easy money. We have interesting characters with interesting „tricks“. Remember the film „The Incredible Adventures of Italians in Russia“? Some will say that the main character there is an honest police officer played by Andrei Mironov. And I would argue that the main characters there are adventurers. And Sergei and I play antagonists in such a way that we will definitely be remembered. We are as self-ironic as possible, just like the audience of our country, who really love comedies,» says Mikhail Tarabukin.
«I play the mother-in-law in one of the opposing families. My mother-in-law is unpredictable, impulsive, powerful. His opinion simply blows everyone away. There’s no way to describe it in a nutshell! The viewer will see and hear everything for himself. I am sure that our film will bring good and joyful feelings to the world of art. I found inspiration and excitement on the set,» says Lyudmila Artemyeva.
«Together with our strategic partner, the Atmosfera Kino company, we decided to make and release a comedy for Father’s Day in order to look at family relationships, at paternal figures, from the most ironic point of view. The more funny and thematic films are released for various holidays, the more diverse the repertoire will be in cinemas. „Battle of the Dads“ is our contribution to expanding the comedic diversity on Russian movie screens,» says the film’s producer Vladimir Permyakov.