Dead Mountain

Dead Mountain
Dyatlov Pass
Genrehistorical drama
Thriller
detective
mysticism
Created byIlya Kulikov
Written byIlya Kulikov
Vasily Vnukov
Alexander Sysoev
Directed byValery Fedorovich
Evgeny Nikishov
Pavel Kostomarov
Stepan Gordeyev
StarringPyotr Fyodorov
Maria Lugovaya
Andrey Dobrovolsky
Ivan Mulin
Alexander Metelkin
Irina Lukina
Egor Beroev
Evgeny Antropov
Maria Matsel
Maxim Emelyanov
Roman Evdokimov
Yuri Deynekin
Maxim Kostromykhin
Country of originRussia
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producerPyotr Shakhlevich
ProducersValery Fedorovich
Evgeny Nikishov
Andrey Semyonov
Ivan Golomovzyuk (lead)
Olga Kurenkova (lead)
Alexander Sysoev (creative)
Production locationKhibiny
CinematographyGleb Filatov
Aleksey Strelov
David Khayznikov (episode 1)
Running time45 min.
Production company1-2-3 Production
Original release
NetworkTNT
Premier
Release16 November (2020-11-16) –
26 November 2020 (2020-11-26)

Dyatlov Pass is a 2020 Russian television series in the genre of historical drama, created by the studio 1-2-3 Production. The project is based on real events and consists of eight episodes dedicated to the Dyatlov Pass incident of early 1959 and the investigation into its causes.

The creators — directors and producers Valery Fedorovich and Evgeny Nikishov, along with writer Ilya Kulikov — gained access to classified materials from 1959, materials from the 2000s investigation, and the diaries of the deceased hikers.[1]

Many characters are real people whose biographies were reconstructed with documentary accuracy. Fictional characters include the protagonist, KGB Major Oleg Kostin, as well as Shumanova, Okunev, and characters appearing in the WWII scenes.[2]

The series premiered on 16 November 2020[3] on TNT and the streaming service Premier.[4]

Plot

On the night of 1–2 February 1959, near Mount Kholat Syakhl in northern Sverdlovsk Oblast, a group of nine students led by Igor Dyatlov perish. The hikers were to ski more than 300 km and climb two peaks of the Northern Ural — Otorten and Oyka-Chakur. A team led by KGB Major Oleg Kostin is assigned to uncover the reason behind the tragedy.

Odd-numbered episodes depict the investigation, while even-numbered episodes portray the hikers’ expedition.

Cast

  • Pyotr Fyodorov — Oleg Kostin, KGB major
  • Maria Lugovaya — Yekaterina Shumanova, forensic expert
  • Andrey Dobrovolsky — Alexander Okunev, KGB captain
  • Ivan Mulin — Igor Dyatlov, expedition leader
  • Alexander Metelkin — Yuri Doroshenko
  • Irina Lukina — Lyudmila Dubinina
  • Egor Beroev — Semyon Zolotaryov
  • Evgeny Antropov — Alexander Kolevatov
  • Maria Matsel — Zinaida Kolmogorova
  • Maxim Emelyanov — Yuri Krivonischenko
  • Roman Evdokimov — Rustem Slobodin
  • Yuri Deynekin — Nikolay Thibeaux-Brignolle
  • Maxim Kostromykhin — Yuri Yudin

Ratings

The first episode achieved an 18.7% share among TNT's target audience aged 14–44.[5]

Russian critics named the series the best Russian TV show of 2020.[6]

The series was also ranked best Russian series of 2020 by Kino Mail.ru.[7]

It received the Third National Web Industry Award for Best Internet Series (episode over 24 minutes).

Release

The German division of Disney acquired the rights to air the series on the subscription channel Fox German for German-speaking viewers. The rights to broadcast the project were also sold to the SVOD platform Cirkus, which targets audiences in countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, and Norway.[8][9]

References

  1. ^ "Diaries of those who died at the Dyatlov Pass will be shown in the TNT series". StarHit. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  2. ^ "TV series about Dyatlov Pass to be filmed". Regnum. 2 February 2019. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  3. ^ "Premiere date for "Dyatlov Pass" revealed". Bulletin of the Film Distributor. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  4. ^ "TNT to release series about Dyatlov Pass". Komsomolskaya Pravda. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  5. ^ "Ratings for the first episode". TNT Marketing. 16 November 2020. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  6. ^ "Russian critics pick best film and TV projects of 2020". TASS. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  7. ^ "Audience choice awards at Kino Mail.ru". TASS. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  8. ^ "Disney Scoops Beta Film's 'Dead Mountain' and Berlinale Series Market Player 'Alive and Kicking' in Germany (EXCLUSIVE)". Archived from the original on 2021-02-27. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  9. ^ "Disney acquired the rights to air the series "Dyatlov Pass"". Archived from the original on 2021-02-28. Retrieved 2021-02-28.