Sakha Filmmakers Make First Industry Push at Hong Kong FilMart

Mar 18, 2026 4:40pm PT Sakha Filmmakers Make First Coordinated Industry Push at Hong Kong FilMart With 20-Project Slate By Naman Ramachandran Plus Icon Naman Ramachandran Latest Thailand Touts Revamped Film Incentives at Hong Kong FilMart as Retina Film Production and the Monk Studios Woo International Producers 12 hours ago Vietnam Box Office Sensation ‘Bunny!!’ Lands International Theatrical Release Via 3388 Films (EXCLUSIVE) 19 hours ago Malaysia’s Abnormal Studios Launches International Sales Arm at Hong Kong FilMart With Wong Ka Kui Documentary (EXCLUSIVE) 22 hours ago See All Sakha Filmmakers Association Filmmakers from the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia, Russia) are mounting their first organized appearance at Hong Kong FilMart, presenting a regional booth with a slate of more than 20 projects spanning horror, supernatural thrillers, comedy and socially driven drama. The initiative, organized by the Sakha Filmmakers Assn., represents a landmark moment for a regional film sector that has quietly become one of Russia’s most distinctive cinematic movements over the past decade. The delegation comprises directors, producers and creative industry leaders bringing both completed titles available for international sales and projects still in development. Related Stories Adam Schiff to Hold Hearing on Hollywood Jobs With Noah Wyle and IATSE's Matt Loeb Attending filmmakers include Stepan Burnashev (“Penthouse”), Semyon Amanatov (“Where the Cranes Dance,” “Speed Star”), Apollinariya Degtyareva (“Presence”), Stepan Poryadin (“Speed Star,” “Agent Mambo”), Vasily Sleptsov (“Give Me Flowers,” “The Summer Will End,” “Et”) and Sandal Baishev (“Diodorova. Against the Current”). Popular on Variety The industry has taken to calling the movement “Sakhawood” — a nod to the unexpectedly robust film production flourishing in one of the planet’s most remote and frigid regions, where storytelling draws on northern landscapes, indigenous mythology and local cultural traditions. Burnashev, who also serves as head of the Sakha Filmmakers Assn., said the FilMart debut was about more than sales. “This is an opportunity to present our cinema to the world, show our films, talk about our culture and start new international collaborations,” he said, noting that international partners had responded to the “unique style” of Sakha cinema and the caliber of its production values. One standout title generating market buzz is Baishev’s sports biopic “Diodorova. Against the Current,” centered on Paralympic finalist Anastasia Diodorova. The film was among the most commercially successful Russian releases of last year, earning back its budget more than eightfold at the domestic box office. Jump to Comments Rebecca Ferguson Only Has ‘One Scene’ in ‘Dune 3’: ‘There’s a Lot of FOMO’ but ‘This Is Just What It Is’ Embassy Studios Opens Creative Production Complex in Midtown Manhattan Martin Scorsese to Host Special Easter Episode of ‘The Saints’ on the Virgin Mary ‘Invincible’ Bosses Explain Those Young Nolan Flashbacks and Eve’s Big Reveal in Season 4 Premiere: ‘That’s Going to Be Heightening Things Moving Forward’ Kristen Stewart to Preside Over Biarritz Nouvelles Vagues Festival in France Rapper Mystikal Pleads Guilty to Third-Degree Rape, Faces 20 Years in Prison JavaScript is required to load the comments. Loading comments...