The director Aleksey Zharkov, Ekaterina Vulfovich, creative producer of documentaries, PREMIER and RUTUBE, the film's producer Aleksey Balukhtin and Kirill Belsky, the Chelsea club editor at Sports.ru and one of the film’s narrators, introduced the film Russian Chelsea, which is part of the Documentary Film Competition of the 48th Moscow International Film Festival..
The film tells the story of how Roman Abramovich became the governor of Chukotka in the late 1990s. It soon becomes clear that he has no political ambitions, but he does have a passion for sports: he is a huge football fan. In May 2003, he manages to purchase London’s Chelsea and win the Premier League, and a few seasons later, to score a dramatic triumph in the Champions League. During the Abramovich's time, Chelsea wins every major European soccer trophy, but in 2022, the businessman sells the club. How will he be remembered: an initiator of the biggest changes in Premier League's history, an eccentric billionaire, or the man who made all Chelsea fans happy? We only know one thing for sure – it is unlikely that anyone will forget him.
Aleksey Zharkov: "We deliberately moved away from the "talking heads" format because spectators need amusement that can hold their attention, so that the narrative is as gripping and engaging as possible. For me, this film isn’t just about soccer, but about the magic of the game that our main character, Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich, fell in love with when he invested in something entirely new to him. Thanks to this passion, Chelsea has become, as it seems, the only club in history to have won every title, proving that anything is possible".
Ekaterina Vulfovich: "Participating in the Moscow International Film Festival competition is a great honor for us and confirmation that sports documentaries are now reaching the level of high cinematic art. Russian Chelsea is an important part of our extensive sports programming lineup. We see a huge demand from spectators for in-depth, event-driven stories. Just recently, we have presented a series about Zenit, and this fall we’ll finish the series with the project 72, a powerful premiere about hockey".
Aleksey Baltukhin: “Roman Arkadyevich is a rather private person, and it was a challenge for us to find interviewees who could say well and plenty about his story. I don’t know for sure if Roman Arkadyevich has seen the film. As soon as we came up with the idea of the film, we immediately notified the Abramovich Foundation, and the only condition to get all necessary permissions was that we show them the finished film. We sent it to the foundation and received their approval".
Kirill Belsky: “I think this is a significant moment for soccer as a whole, because it effectively marks the end of a great era that transformed the club into an absolute powerhouse. Every fan could identify with Roman Arkadyevich, who genuinely supported the club in every match, wasn’t shy to express his emotions, and came up with ways to make Chelsea even more successful on the field".
The film tells the story of how Roman Abramovich became the governor of Chukotka in the late 1990s. It soon becomes clear that he has no political ambitions, but he does have a passion for sports: he is a huge football fan. In May 2003, he manages to purchase London’s Chelsea and win the Premier League, and a few seasons later, to score a dramatic triumph in the Champions League. During the Abramovich's time, Chelsea wins every major European soccer trophy, but in 2022, the businessman sells the club. How will he be remembered: an initiator of the biggest changes in Premier League's history, an eccentric billionaire, or the man who made all Chelsea fans happy? We only know one thing for sure – it is unlikely that anyone will forget him.
Aleksey Zharkov: "We deliberately moved away from the "talking heads" format because spectators need amusement that can hold their attention, so that the narrative is as gripping and engaging as possible. For me, this film isn’t just about soccer, but about the magic of the game that our main character, Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich, fell in love with when he invested in something entirely new to him. Thanks to this passion, Chelsea has become, as it seems, the only club in history to have won every title, proving that anything is possible".
Ekaterina Vulfovich: "Participating in the Moscow International Film Festival competition is a great honor for us and confirmation that sports documentaries are now reaching the level of high cinematic art. Russian Chelsea is an important part of our extensive sports programming lineup. We see a huge demand from spectators for in-depth, event-driven stories. Just recently, we have presented a series about Zenit, and this fall we’ll finish the series with the project 72, a powerful premiere about hockey".
Aleksey Baltukhin: “Roman Arkadyevich is a rather private person, and it was a challenge for us to find interviewees who could say well and plenty about his story. I don’t know for sure if Roman Arkadyevich has seen the film. As soon as we came up with the idea of the film, we immediately notified the Abramovich Foundation, and the only condition to get all necessary permissions was that we show them the finished film. We sent it to the foundation and received their approval".
Kirill Belsky: “I think this is a significant moment for soccer as a whole, because it effectively marks the end of a great era that transformed the club into an absolute powerhouse. Every fan could identify with Roman Arkadyevich, who genuinely supported the club in every match, wasn’t shy to express his emotions, and came up with ways to make Chelsea even more successful on the field".