The mystical detective series Bar One Call with Danila Kozlovsky failed to obtain a distribution certificate and was dropped from the New Season online cinema festival lineup, according to TASS. The decision underscores ongoing regulatory hurdles for the project as it navigates festival selection and certification processes.
The festival’s press office noted that the project did not receive the necessary distribution clearance and that organizers waited until the final moment before confirming their stance.
The narrative follows investigator Andrei, portrayed by Alexander Ilyin, as he pursues the mystery of his comatose wife’s young son, Vitya, played by Kai Goetz. Reports indicate that Vitya was last seen at a spot known as Tek Call bar. Yet locating this venue proves elusive, since the bar is described as appearing in different locations at random, rendering the search both surreal and persistent.
In the story, a local bartender manages the bar and serves as a gatekeeper to an otherworldly dimension. Beyond simple service, the bartender invites patrons to participate in a perilous game that blends conversation with a minute-long exchange in the spirit world. The stakes intensify as players must confront a deadly choice reminiscent of a Russian roulette-style test of fate. The director behind Bar One Call is Sergei Filatov, and the cast includes Maxim Vitorgan, Oksana Akinshina, Polina Aug, Egor Ship, Kai Getz, Serafima Goshchanskaya, Marina Vorozhishcheva, Oleg Ryazantsev, Artem Osipov, and other performers whose names contribute to the project’s ensemble appeal.
In a related note, the industry has seen previously publicized incidents involving other figures associated with the project’s broader promotion, including former statements by Alexey Panin regarding a separate controversy in Estonia connected to a different production context.