Ralph Fiennes to direct film in St Petersburg

Ralph Fiennes will join a host of Russian and foreign directors to shoot a film about St Petersburg. Petersburg: Category of Feelings will comprise a series of ten short films, each with a different director and theme, centred on a particular emotion. Together, the titles of each short, such as passion, envy and glee, will spell out the word “Petersburg”. Fiennes will be joined by French director Cédric Klapisch and Georgian-born Bakur Bakuradze among others.

The project will be overseen by Fedor Bondarchuk, the Russian actor and filmmaker best known for The 9th Company (Devyataya Rota) and Stalingrad. Bondarchuk said: “Petersburg: Category of Feelings is actually a pilot project of the studio Lenfilm. I’m really happy with what’s happening. We’re creating an international project.”

The film will be financed by the Ministry of Culture and will begin shooting in autumn this year.