Netflix has announced its latest Original series from Russia, the neo-noir mystery drama ZATO.
Set at the peak of transition and uncertainty after the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, ZATO follows Kristina, an ambitious young journalist, and Dashkin, a desperate cop, who team up to investigate the disappearance of a child in the restricted access town of Lobachevsk — where exposing the wrong secret can get you killed.
Said head writer Misha Shprits (The Optimists):
“ZATO emerged from a casual conversation between my co–author Ilya Shein and myself a few years ago. How could a child vanish in a restricted access town? The mystery got us thinking and we tried solving it just for fun, for the love of the genre. And then we remembered the ‘90s, and how those years changed all of us in this country and continue to factor in to this day. Without us realizing it ZATO became not just a mystery but also the story about those of us who had the hardest of times adjusting to the new and harsh realities. It’s about people desperately struggling to remain who they are in a world where no one believes in anything anymore.”
Director Darya Zhuk (Gold Diggers) stated:
“Misha Shpritz and I have been exploring the possibility of a collaboration for years. ZATO has been close to my heart from the start in terms of its tone, atmosphere, and characters. The world around this project continues to explore many of the themes important to me as an auteur: unconventional complex characters and specifically, the charismatic fearless female protagonist and an exploration of the post-Soviet heritage. Many of my favorite actors return to the small screen in new roles”.
And producers Irina Smirnova and Alexander Kushaev shared:
“Five years ago, when Misha Shprits and Ilya Shein approached us with a pitch for a story under an unusual name of ZATO, no one could imagine what a long and challenging road of reshaping and transformation that was in store for us. In many ways our story is based on personal stories and experiences of its creators and feeds off real-life events, which allows it to feel so true-to-life and so genuine. We managed to hand-pick and put together a unique creative team led by Darya Zhuk. This crew has its own distinctive vision and approach, where every member is fully dedicated to the series at a professional and emotional level. We are certain that our Series, the result of many years of elaborate work, will prove to be very impactful, emotionally engaging, for all its viewers.”
Co-directed by Darya Zhuk and Stanislav Libin (Last Cop), the series is co-written by Misha Shprits, Ilya Shein, and Ksenia Mchedlidze.
The cast includes Anastasia Talyzina (Patriot), Mikhail Troynik (Chicks), Maxim Stoyanov (Better than Us), Ivan Mulin (Dead Mountain), Polina Kutepova (The Official), Ilya Isaev (The Method), Victoriya Tolstoganova (The Mistress of the Mountain), Ilya Malanin (The Blackout), and Ekaterina Ageeva (White Snow).
ZATO will launch globally on Netflix (date tba). Stay tuned for updates.
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