Russia’s foreign language Oscar entry is Anna Melikyan’s sophomore feature, The Mermaid.
The story revolves around the big city experiences of a girl who makes it to Moscow after growing up on Russia’s Black Sea coast. “The Mermaid” is similar in style to Melikyan’s debut “MARS,” which sold to various territories around the world. The film was produced by Central Partnership and Melikyan’s Magnum Film shingle.
“The Mermaid” world premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Fest, where Melikyan received the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award, and then went on to receive the Fipresci critics’ Prize at Berlin.
Central Partnership exec Ruben Dishdishyan said: “We truly believe that ‘The Mermaid’ deserves to be one of those motion pictures that determine the perception of the Russian cinema abroad.”
Released in Russia and surrounding territories in November on 212 prints, it brought in a respectable $1.3 million at the box office.