Roadside Attractions acquired Firebird, Peeter Rebane’s critically-acclaimed theatrical feature directorial debut, which played at many major film festivals including Atlanta’s Out on Film, NYC’s NewFest, San Francisco’s Frameline, and London’s BFI Flare.
Roadside plans a theatrical release date of April 29, 2022.
Based on a true story during the Cold War, Firebird is a passionate love story set against the backdrop of a Soviet Air Force base in Estonia during late 1970’s Communist rule. Sergey (Tom Prior), a soulful, young soldier who dreams of becoming an actor in Moscow, is counting the days until his military service ends. His life turned upside down when he locks eyes with Roman (Oleg Zagorodnii), a sexy, enigmatic ace fighter pilot newly assigned to his base. Driven by their undeniable attraction, Sergey and Roman navigate the precarious line between love and friendship at a time when Soviet men in uniform caught having a sexual affair was met with the severest punishment. As their friendship grows into love, the men risk their freedom and their lives to be together in the face of an all-seeing Soviet regime.
In addition to Prior (The Theory of Everything, Kingsman: The Secret Service), the film stars Oleg Zagorodnii (The Choice, Dzhamayka), Diana Pozharskaya (The Unknown Soldier, Hotel Eleon, Senior Mafia, Eclipse), Jake Thomas Henderson (The Family that Could Talk About Anything),
Margus Prangel (Klass: Elu pärast) and Nicholas Woodeson (The Death of Stalin, The Danish Girl, Skyfall).
Director, co-writer Peeter Rebane commented, “This powerful story of one man’s journey influenced me personally having grown up in the USSR. A story as relevant today as it was almost 50 years ago, it is especially meaningful to share our core message – that love is love. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Firebird in the incredible hands of the team at Roadside Attractions. They are passionate about independent film and highly skilled at delivering meaningful stories to audiences that move the needle on subjects and issues so relevant to the world we live in today.”
Watch the international trailer for Firebird.