Screenwriter and Kino group co-founder Alexey Rybin outlined why Realnoe Vremya chose to bring Shamil Idiatullin’s novel The City of Brezhnev to the screen, focusing on the era of young street gangs in the 1980s. He noted that upon reading the work, he recognized its strong cinematic potential immediately and made a decisive move to pursue a film adaptation without hesitation.
Rybin recalled, I read the novel about five years ago and was struck by its literary power from the very first page. I immediately felt it needed to be translated into cinema. I tracked Shamil down, found his phone number, and called him. We spoke at length, and we agreed to collaborate on a movie project. Yet the path to finding a production partner proved winding and took roughly eighteen months, given the scale and sensitivity of the material.
He also shared that preparations for filming are progressing and that the project could reach audiences as early as 2024, reflecting growing confidence in bringing the story to life.
The narrative centers on youth crime groups in the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic during the 1980s. Production is planned for the summer of 2023 with the involvement of NTV and the Triix Media film company. A substantial portion of the film is dedicated to capturing the atmosphere, daily life, and social dynamics that defined the early part of that decade.
In addition, Rybin revealed that all eight episodes of the project are slated to be shot in Naberezhnye Chelny. He also expressed a hopeful outlook for the cast, intending to prioritize local actors for the majority of roles to authentically reflect the setting and community portrayed in the story.