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Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Mosfilm Film Concern – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

December 16, 2025

News editorial office

Today, People's Artist of the Russian Federation Svetlana Druzhinina celebrates her 90th birthday. Actress, director, screenwriter, and producer, Svetlana Sergeyevna has distinguished herself in a wide range of film roles during her long and successful career. Her filmography includes over 20 outstanding projects! Mosfilm.ru recalls the key creative milestones of Svetlana Druzhinina, whose career is closely linked to the legendary film studio.

Svetlana Sergeyevna Druzhinina was born on December 16, 1935, in Moscow. Her childhood coincided with the war years: Svetlana's father died at the front, and Svetlana and her mother were forced to evacuate twice. After the war, they returned to Moscow. Druzhinina dreamed of becoming a performer from childhood and, at the age of 12, entered circus school. A year later, she transferred to the choreography school at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Musical Theater, and later to the choreography school of the State Academic Bolshoi Theater. Her classmates included Maris Liepa and Natalia Kasatkina. Her teachers noted Svetlana Sergeyevna's talent for dance, but a serious arm injury forced her to abandon her ballet career.

In search of a new creative outlet, Svetlana Druzhinina tried her hand at presenting. Mosfilm director Samson Samsonov saw one of her concerts. He tracked her down and offered her a role in his film, Behind the Department Store Window (1955). Fascinated by cinema, Svetlana enrolled in the acting department of VGIK (Olga Pyzhova and Boris Bibikov's workshop), where her classmates included Leonid Kuravlyov and Sofiko Chiaureli. For the next ten years, Druzhinina devoted herself to acting, appearing in films such as It Happened in Penkovo (1957) and Girls (1961). Druzhinina retired from acting in 1965, having appeared in films such as There Is a Son Somewhere (1962) and What Is the Sea Like? (1964), "Green Light" (1965) and "Beloved" (1965).

In the 1950s and 1960s, audiences could appreciate the brilliant acting talent of Svetlana Druzhinina.

In the mid-1960s, the already well-known and beloved actress decided to change her role – she re-enrolled at VGIK, this time in the directing department (Igor Talankin's workshop). In 1969, after graduating, Svetlana Sergeyevna began working at Mosfilm Studios as a director. Her feature-length directorial debut was the film "Wish Fulfillment" (1973), based on the novel of the same name by Veniamin Kaverin. The film starred Yevgeny Lebedev, Innokenty Smoktunovsky, Natalya Bondarchuk, and Nikolai Eremenko. In the late 1970s, Svetlana Druzhinina discovered a new direction – musical films. This is how her films “Sun, Sun Again” (1976), “The Hussar’s Courtship” (1979), “Dulcinea del Toboso” (1980) and “The Circus Princess” (1982) appeared.

Svetlana Druzhinina's crowning achievement as a director is considered to be the multi-part film "Midshipmen, Forward!" (1987), based on Nina Sorotokina's novel "Three from the Navigation School." The film achieved nationwide success! The leading roles were played by Sergei Zhigunov, Dmitry Kharatyan, and Vladimir Shevelkov. The film also starred Mikhail Boyarsky, Yevgeny Yevstigneyev, Aleksandr Abdulov, Innokenty Smoktunovsky, and other actors. Filming lasted over a year and a half. Svetlana Druzhinina subsequently directed four sequels to "Midshipmen." From 1995 to 2011, she worked on another large-scale historical project—the film series "Secrets of Palace Revolutions" about the lives of Russian empresses.

Film director and People's Artist of the Russian Federation Svetlana Druzhinina on the set of her films

Svetlana Druzhinina's cinema is not documentary historical reconstructions, but rather vibrant worlds where moral contrasts are clear, good triumphs, and evil is vivid. Her historical costume dramas are, above all, fairy tales, where the essence lies in the truth of feelings: friendship, love, patriotism. Svetlana Druzhinina's films are almost always a cascade of charming characters (the legendary "midshipmen"), sparkling dialogue, memorable songs, and impeccably handsome actors. She created not just characters, but archetypes. During the perestroika era, her cinema gave viewers something scarce: unconditional joy, hope, and confidence in the justice of the world order.

Over the course of her long career, Svetlana Druzhinina has received numerous awards and prizes. In 2001, she was awarded the title of People's Artist of the Russian Federation for her significant contributions to the arts. She is also a recipient of the Order of Honor, the Order of Friendship, and the Order "For Merit in Culture and Art." Over the years, Druzhinina has won the Golden Eagle Film Award, the Moscow International Film Festival Prize, the Vivat Cinema of Russia! Film Festival Prize, and others.

The Mosfilm team heartily congratulates Svetlana Druzhinina on her anniversary and wishes her good health and new creative achievements!

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Mosfilm Film Concern – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

December 11, 2025

News editorial office

The music for the film "Saving the Immortal" (previously titled "The Return of Mendysh") has been recorded at Mosfilm's Music Studio 1, and the final soundtrack is already being mixed at Dolby Studio 6. Mosfilm.ru spoke with composer Aizhamal Samatova and sound engineer Lola Bukaeva about the process of creating the film's soundscape.

The Opensound Orchestra symphony orchestra, conducted by Stanislav Malyshev, performed a score created by young composer Aizhamal Samatova. The music was developed in close collaboration with the film's director, Pavel Ignatov, and sound engineer, Lola Bukaeva. For Aizhamal Samatova, a graduate of the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music, this project marked her film debut.

"It was crucial for me that the music convey not the characters' national differences, but rather the feelings they share—love, the pain of loss, joy," shared Aizhamal Samatova. "Even if the film features a song in Kyrgyz, it doesn't require translation: the characters' emotions are clear without words. That's the main idea."

The composer noted the unique creative atmosphere at Mosfilm and thanked her mentor, renowned film composer Yuri Potenko, for his assistance with the orchestration. The recording, supervised by experienced sound engineer Gennady Papin, was smooth and precise, achieving the desired depth and emotionality of the sound.

The film is currently being re-recorded (final mixing – ed.) at Dolby Studio 6. Previously, the film's editors completed editing (editing director: Olga Proshkina) and voice-over work. The team has 20 work shifts ahead. According to the film's creators, everything is aimed at finding the final creative and technical solution for the film's sound design, a balance between sound and image that aligns with the director's vision and the perceptions of the young audience for whom this film is being made.

The film's sound director, Lola Bukaeva, along with her colleague Daler Khasanov, who has worked with this team on other projects, are perfectionists in their field, meticulously working on the film's sound design.

"Of course, the final say always rests with director Pavel Ignatov. Our task is to realize the director's vision, which, I believe, we understood from the very beginning of work on this very unusual and beloved film," shared sound engineer Lola Bukaeva.

Sound engineers particularly note the high-tech nature of Mosfilm's dubbing studio as one of the most advanced production facilities in Russia for this stage of film production. They estimate that the Mosfilm dubbing studio's equipment meets the most modern standards.

Let us remember that the editing and post-production stage of the film "Saving the Immortal" (previous working title "The Return of Mendysh") is carried out entirely at the Mosfilm production and technical base – this includes voice-over, sound recording, background recording, music recording, re-recording (final mixing of the film's soundtrack – ed.), etc.

Filming took place in wintry Belarus and the scorching Tien Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan. The plot is based on the life and tragic fate of Kyrgyzstani Mendysh Omuraliev, who died in the Battle of Rzhev in 1942. His remains were found by a search party and returned to his birthplace, the Talas region of Kyrgyzstan, where he was buried with full military honors.

"Extreme blogger Sasha Ustinov (played by popular blogger Gufee Medalina), living in a reality of streaming and hype, finds himself drawn into the events of the Great Patriotic War through a mystical connection to the past. The discovery of the remains of an unknown soldier in the present day by his grandfather, a searcher, becomes a turning point, launching a fantastic journey through time," the film's synopsis states.

The film was written by Alexander Shevtsov and directed by Pavel Ignatov. Lola Bukaeva served as the film's sound engineer, and Aizhamal Samatova composed the music. The role of Mendysh Omuraliev was given to Kyrgyz actor Kymbatbek Alimzhanov. The modern-day hero, Sasha Ustinov, was played by Mikhail Medalin, a popular Russian rapper and blogger with a multi-million audience, also known by his stage name Gufee Medalin. This young adult fantasy film (12) is presented by Reversiya Film Company and the Memory of Victories Foundation.

According to the film's creators, the main goal of "Saving the Immortal" is to awaken in the younger generation a genetic memory of the exploits of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. The film is primarily aimed at the younger generation. The film's wide release is scheduled for Defender of the Fatherland Day, February 26, 2026.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.