The Russian Five begins a screening in theaters this weekend, including in Michigan and at AFS Cinema here in Austin. It will begin in 25 theaters and gradually expand from there. As word of mouth travels, hopefully we'll be able to add even more dates and locations throughout the spring, leading up to an eventual digital release.
For now, though, if you're near a theater where The Russian Five is playing, check it out on the big screen. As director Josh Riehl puts it:
"I think that the communal experience of watching a movie in the theater together with your friends and family is especially important for 'The Russian Five,' " he said by email. "We watched and cheered on our Red Wings together at the Joe, so being able to watch the film in a theater full of Red Wings fans, with everyone reliving these memories together, really is the ultimate viewing experience."
The Russian Five is the story of how the Detroit Red Wings - desperate to be a symbol of hope and triumph for a city suffering the effects of dramatic economic upheaval - scouted Soviet hockey players before the fall of Communism and in some cases, helped them to defect to the United States so they could play in the National Hockey League. With the construction of what became known as the "Russian Five," the Red Wings ushered in a new era - and changed professional hockey forever.
Part spy movie, part sports movie, all underdog story, The Russian Five is a fun, twisty and emotional ride featuring a wide range of never before seen archival footage and animated sequences created by Russian artists. It marks the directorial debut for Josh Riehl and I feel so fortunate to have been part of the team as the film's editor.
When Josh brought the film to Austin, he had a solid assembly cut that laid out the main beats of the story. Working out of Arts + Labor with producers Steve Bannatyne and Jason Wehling, and assistant editor Ryan Vaughn, we worked with Josh to reconstruct the film's narrative arc and elevate its key emotional beats. This is a densely packed story that spans decades and Josh had spent six years on research, shooting interviews, gathering terabytes worth of archival footage and beginning the edit. It was a team effort to bring all these elements together in a matter of months so we could make our debut in Detroit to over two thousand Red Wings fans at the Fillmore Theater.
Since its festival run, The Russian Five was picked up for distribution by FilmBuff. Check out the brand new trailer below, and visit The Russian Five website to keep with news on how to see the film.
