''The Pilot. A Battle for Survival'' (russian: Лётчик, Lyotchik) is a 2021 Russian WWII film written and directed by

Renat Davletyarov Renat Favarisovich Davletyarov (russian: Рена́т Фавари́сович Давлетья́ров; born August 17, 1961, Astrakhan, USSR) is a Russian film director, film producer and screenwriter. President of the Guild of Producers of Rus ...

, based on the real events surrounding pilot

Aleksey Maresyev Aleksey Petrovich Maresyev (russian: Алексей Петрович Маресьев; 5 May 1916 – 19 May 2001) was a Russian military pilot who became a Soviet fighter ace during World War II despite becoming a double amputee. Biog ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

(known in Russia as "

The Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), and Sout ...

"). ''The Pilot. A Battle for Survival'' was theatrically released in Russia on 2 December 2021 by

Central Partnership Central Partnership (russian: Централ Партнершип) is a Russian film distribution and production company founded in 1995. The distributor was acquired by Russian gas company Gazprom in 2014. History Central Partnership started ...

Plot

The film takes place at the beginning of World War II. The film tells about the pilot Nikolai Komlev, who defeated a German tank column, but his plane was shot down. Nikolai was able to land his plane in a forest clearing and suddenly realized that his problems were just beginning.

Cast

Production

The film was produced in collaboration with the Russian Ministry of Culture and the Russian Film Foundation. Director Renat Davletyarov called the film his version of ''The Revenant''.

Filming

Some of the scenes (the hospital) were filmed in the fall and winter of 2018 at the Pokrovskoye-Streshnevo estate.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

began in January 2019 in the

Novgorod Oblast Novgorod Oblast (russian: Новгоро́дская о́бласть, ''Novgorodskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Veliky Novgorod. Some of the oldest Russian cities, includin ...

. They went including in the

Demyansky District Demyansky District (russian: Демянский район) is an administrativeLaw #559-OZ and municipalLaw #397-OZ district (raion), one of the twenty-one in Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is located in the south of the oblast and borders with Kre ...

, where in 1942 Aleksey Maresyev's plane was shot down. In addition to outdoor filming, there was filming in one of the pavilions of the

Mosfilm Studios Mosfilm (russian: Мосфильм, ''Mosfil’m'' ) is a film studio which is among the largest and oldest in the Russian Federation and in Europe. Founded in 1924 in the USSR as a production unit of that nation's film monopoly, its output inclu ...

, against a green background, which was later replaced by another.

Release

Marketing

The first teaser trailer of ''The Pilot. A Battle for Survival'' was released on 3 January 2021.

Theatrical

The premiere was scheduled for 1 May,

International Workers Day International Workers' Day, also known as Labour Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day, is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every year on 1 May, ...

, but was later postponed to 4 November. After it was closed due to another wave of the quarantine plague in Russia, its release was postponed to 2 December 2021. The premiere screening took place on 30 November at the "Karo 11 October" cinema center in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

. It will be released in the

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

on 2 December 2021 by

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pilot. A Battle for Survival 2021 films 2020s Russian-language films 2021 biographical drama films 2020s historical drama films 2021 war drama films 2020s survival films Russian biographical drama films Biographical films about military personnel Russian historical drama films Russian war drama films Eastern Front of World War II films Films set in 1941 Films set in the Soviet Union Films set on airplanes Russian independent films Mosfilm films Russian epic films War epic films Films about aviators World War II aviation films World War II films based on actual events Russian World War II films Films directed by Renat Davletyarov Films shot in Russia Films postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic