On May 16, during the Cannes Film Festival, director Anatoly Balchev presented a special screening — effectively a premiere — of his latest film “Vysotsky. Unknown… True Stories.” Anna Shtukkert, the film’s producer and guest of honor, was in attendance.
The film blends never-before-seen footage of Vladimir Vysotsky and his inner circle, shot during his lifetime by Pyotr Soldatenko, with dramatized episodes from the life of the legendary poet and bard. The cast includes Marina Vlady, Mikhail Shemyakin, Vadim Tumanov, Vsevolod Abdulov, as well as Vasily Mishchenko, Evgeny Tkachuk, and others.
Alongside accredited guests of the festival, many members of the first wave of Russian emigration attended the screening. As anticipated, the film stirred deep nostalgia for a bygone era, with some audience members — who had personally known Vysotsky — moved to tears. 
Prior to the screening, Anatoly Balchev announced that work had already begun on the third and final installment of his Vysotsky trilogy. Titled “Vysotsky. They Won’t Put Up a Monument to Me in the Park…”, the film began shooting on May 9 in the town of Gorokhovets, near the monument and fountain dedicated to Vysotsky. The audience at Cannes was introduced to modern chanson-rap artist Gio Pika, who plays a key role in the upcoming film.
The premiere was made possible with the support of the studio IFREE LLC, which specializes in high-tech digital music content creation.
In connection with the screening, IFREE LLC also announced the upcoming release of the digital show “V. Vysotsky. Singularity”, which will feature performances by Gio Pika, Diana Ankudinova, Nikita Dzhigurda, Nelli Baimatova, and others. Organizers of the Cannes Film Market are already looking forward to the new Vysotsky-themed projects set to debut next year.
