Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Mosfilm Film Concern – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
December 22, 2025
News editorial office
Mosfilm is nearing completion on the sound design for the historical adventure film "Lefty." Pavel Doreuli, sound director and co-founder of Atmosfera Studios, whose team is overseeing the entire project, spoke to Mosfilm.ru about the main tasks and challenges: creating the voice and mechanics for the key character, a high-tech flea, and contrasting two worlds: Lefty's crude but brilliant inventions and the sophisticated devices of British intelligence.
The Atmosfera team has been working on the complex sound design for the new film "Lefty" at Mosfilm studios since late May. As Pavel Doreuli (pictured with Pavel Stasenko, sound designer for the re-recording of "Lefty") explained, the sound department was faced with numerous tasks, which were gradually implemented. One of the central ones was creating the sound image of the mechanical Flea—the film's key artifact and character.
"Initially, the Flea in the film is a type of spy mechanism used by the British secret service. The well-known expression, 'Lefty shoed the flea,' is an allegory for his defeat of all their complex mechanisms. Therefore, the task was to create not only the sounds of movement for the Flea but also to convey that it was a high-tech device for the time. It even has a voice! Furthermore, we had to create an organic feel for this character. After all, it's essentially a mechanical robot with pneumatic legs. We sought this in some manifestation of the mechanisms at work, but… with emotion! Accordingly, there were many iterations, and the sound image has only just come together," shared Pavel Doreuli.
Besides Flea, a unique sound design was required for the world of Lefty's inventions: his prosthetic limb, his robotic assistant, detectors, and other flea-fighting devices. It was important to contrast Lefty's self-taught world, where functionality over aesthetics comes first, with the technologically advanced and elegant devices of British intelligence: various types of spy fleas, tracking systems, and so on.
"The sound on set was recorded very well. One of the director's requirements was to preserve as much of the original sound as possible. However, some work was still required: lines were added, some lines were rewritten, extras and cameos were recorded. Overall, more than 90% of the film's sound will be from the set," the sound engineer explained.
A separate, large-scale component of the work is the musical score. The film's soundtrack was written by film composers Georgy Fyodorov and Roman Selivestrov (Major Grom, the fantasy saga Eterna).
"There's a lot of music in 'Lefty.' It simply fills the entire space! The music is very emotional, it drives the action. In my opinion, this is a very interesting compositional approach that supports the dramaturgy and focuses the audience's attention in the right direction," concluded Pavel Doreuli.
ABOUT THE FILM
The film "Lefty" is based on Nikolai Leskov's famous novella, which receives a bold and original interpretation in this new adaptation. The screenplay was written by Ilya Kulikov and Valeria Podorozhnova, and Vladimir Besedin ("Major Grom") directed. The film won the award for most anticipated adaptation at the "Chitka 4.0" festival.
The project stars Yuri Kolokolnikov, Fedor Fedotov, Leonela Manturova, Yan Tsapnik, Alexey Guskov, Artur Ivanov, Alexander Chevychelov and others.
The plot takes viewers to Russia at the end of the 19th century. Against the backdrop of looming war with Great Britain, a mysterious device—a mechanical flea—is discovered in the imperial palace. A young officer, Pyotr Ogarev, who dreams of earning the trust of Emperor Alexander III, is tasked with investigating the incident. In his search for the truth, he teams up with Lefty, a brilliant but forgotten craftsman from Tula. Together, they plunge into a world of intrigue and danger. To uncover the conspiracy, the heroes must challenge the system, unravel family secrets, and make a difficult choice between duty and love. At stake are the country's security and their own destinies.
"Lefty" is an adventure film set in a historical setting. The film is very vibrant, a color scheme chosen to give viewers a fresh sense of the era, without the usual stylization typical of classic films. The film features unique inventions and devices created at the intersection of historical accuracy and the author's imagination.
"The film contains a huge number of details that may not be noticeable at first glance, but they create depth in the characters' images and personalities, and in the story as a whole. Every time the viewer rewatches the film, they will be met with new surprises and discoveries. I strived to give viewers the most engaging cinematic experience possible," said director Vladimir Besedin.
"For me, 'Lefty' isn't just a film, it's a journey. St. Petersburg comes alive here—with its dampness, beauty, and eternal irony—as if it itself becomes the hero. This is the story of Russian talent, capable of shoeing even a flea, but never learning to shoe its own heart. It's about the fragility of the soul, stronger than steel and, at the same time, more vulnerable than any flea. In this strange mixture of genius and simplicity, pain and laughter, stumbles and miracles—there lies the piercing truth of the Russian people," shared actor Yuri Kolokolnikov.
"'Lefty' captivated me with its unexpected combination of a classic literary plot and powerful cinematic thrills. It's an explosive combination, and I hope our film will manage to achieve true success this winter, become a blockbuster—or rather, a flea-buster—and explode at the box office. We were striving for this, working very hard," said actor Fyodor Fedotov.
The final shoots took place on a soundstage in Moscow, while location filming took place in St. Petersburg in the fall and winter of 2024. The film's team meticulously approached the creation of every scene and strictly minimized the use of computer graphics. Numerous sets, models, and locations were built by artists, and the film also features a real animatronic—Lefty's robot companion.
The film will be released on January 22. The project was created by LEGIO FELIX with the support of the Cinema Fund and produced by Ilya Kulikov, Andrey Semenov, Ruslan Sokolov, and Vladimir Permyakov. The distributor is Atmosfera Kino, the theatrical release partner is Kinopoisk, and the film is released with the support of the TNT television channel.
For questions on renting music studios, re-recording studios, speech and sound studios: Tatyana Yuryevna Balter – Director of the Tonstudio PC. Tel.: 7 (499) 143-9803 E-mail: tonstudio@mosfilm.ru Tonstudio, Mosfilmovskaya St. 1, building 27
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