On May 16, during the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, director Anatoly Balchev presented a special screening — effectively a premiere — of his new film “Vysotsky. Unknown… True Stories.” The event’s guest of honor and producer was Anna Shtukkert.
The film weaves together rare archival footage of Vladimir Vysotsky and his close circle, filmed during the poet’s lifetime by Pyotr Soldatenko, with dramatized scenes based on key moments from Vysotsky’s life. The cast includes Marina Vlady, Mikhail Shemyakin, Vadim Tumanov, Vsevolod Abdulov, as well as Vasily Mishchenko, Evgeny Tkachuk, and others.
Alongside the official Cannes guests, many attendees came from the first wave of Russian émigrés. As anticipated, the film stirred deep emotions and nostalgia for a vanished era, with some audience members — who had personally known Vysotsky — moved to tears. 
Before the screening, Anatoly Balchev announced the launch of his next project about Vladimir Vysotsky, which will conclude his cinematic trilogy. Filming of the third film, titled “Vysotsky. They Won’t Put Up a Monument to Me in the Park…”, began on May 9 in the city of Gorokhovets, near the monument and fountain dedicated to the artist. Attendees of the premiere were also introduced to Gio Pika — a leading figure in modern chanson-rap — who will play a central role in the upcoming film.
The Cannes premiere was made possible with the support of IFREE LLC, a studio specializing in high-tech digital music production.
During the event, IFREE LLC also announced the upcoming release of the digital performance “V. Vysotsky. Singularity”, which features Gio Pika along with Diana Ankudinova, Nikita Dzhigurda, Nelli Baimatova, and others. Organizers of the Cannes Film Market are already expressing strong interest in the continuation of the Vysotsky-themed projects, expected to premiere in the coming year.
