We shot the first ever fiction film at the Kola superdeep borehole site
In mid-July, Grigory Shakhanov's science-fiction short film "Price is Right" was filmed at the Kola super-deep borehole site — the deepest man-made hole on Earth. This was the first ever fiction film shot at that historic location. At the moment, "Price is Right" is submitted for various international film festivals and therefore can’t be made public. The film premieres in November at the XIV Northern Character International Film Festival.
Older brother Alex played by Alexey Bashkirov
“Price is Right” is a sci-fi story centered on two brothers. While searching an abandoned science lab looking for some easy cash, they find something that could make them rich. But only one of the brothers is willing to pay a harsh price for quick success. Brothers Sergey and Alex were played by artists of the Northern Fleet theater — Ilya Sirin and Alexei Bashkirov. The authors of the script — Grigory Shakhanov and Andrey Kostennikov — acted as director and 1st assistant director, respectively. The director of photography of the film is Denis Ponomarev. Production designer — Anna Minakova.
Younger brother Sergey played by Ilia Sirin
The film was shot in the framework of the “Pechengafilm” cinelaboratory, organized by the “Northern Character” Production Center as part of the “North Without Borders” project. The project was supported by the Presidential Grants Fund, the Ministry of Culture of the Murmansk Region and Pechenga District Development Center “Second School”.
Ten young filmmakers who came to the remote northern village of Nikel from all over the country improved their writing and directing skills for two weeks. Of the 10 scenarios proposed by the film school participants at the pitching, the expert council chose two: a short feature film by Grigory Shakhanov "Price is Right" and a short documentary by Raisa Shmatova "ChroNIKELs", where Nikel and its inhabitants are shown through the eyes of film school students.
Young team, professional production
“Price is Right” was prepped by the team in just two days: the props were made by hand or found in the shops of the Pechenga district, and the necessary equipment was ordered from Murmansk. In this short time, all the issues on which the success of filming depended were resolved, and therefore filming could be done in just one long shooting day. The team of young professionals worked smoothly and efficiently, which impressed even the experienced members of the crew. The epilogue of the film was captured against the backdrop of the town of Nikel, which the participants of the cinelab grew fond of.
BTS photographer — Ana Minakova
The allure of Kola
The Kola superdeep borehole is a site for geological research of global importance. During drilling, which reached a maximum depth of 12 km, Soviet scientists made a number of discoveries about the age of the Earth and the composition of the Earth's crust, which shocked the international scientific community. Due to technological limitations and financial difficulties at the end of the USSR, the project was frozen. After closure in the early 1990s, the well fell into disrepair and gradually fell victim to looters. Kola today is an abandoned facility in the middle of the primeval, almost unearthly landscape of the Far North. Surrounded by old mountains and lakes, Kola still attracts creative people whose imagination suggests new stories. It was there that the idea of “Price is Right” was born.