Volgafilm nabs “The Hummingbird Effect” for Russia, CIS

PanARMENIAN.Net - Volgafilm Inc., one of Russia’s top indie distributors, has slated the Jason Statham starer The Hummingbird Effect for a Russia and CIS release on June 13, The Hollywood Reporter said.

Volgafilm, which last year released 12 films that earned a total box office of $25.6 million – 2.1 percent of Russia’s total $1.3 billion turnstile — is banking on Statham’s popularity in Russia to give it another hit.

Written and directed by acclaimed British screenwriter Steven Knight (Eastern Promises, Dirty Pretty Things), Hummingbird tells the story of troubled ex-soldier Joey Jones (Statham) who is living rough in London after seeing his unit ripped apart by an artillery barrage in Afghanistan.

On the run from a ruthless gang, Joey breaks into a Covent Garden flat owned by a wealthy man and assumes his identity. But when Joey’s pregnant girlfriend is found dead in a river, his attempts to forge a new life with the help of friend and sponsor Sister Cristina begin to crumble.

An IM Global film produced by Paul Webster (Anna Karenina, Atonement) and Guy Heeley through their company Shoebox Films, which is a partnership between them and director Joe Wright, the film is Knight’s directorial debut.

Also starring Benedict Wong (Johnny English Reborn) and David Bradley (Captain America: The first Avenger), the film is described a gritty, fast-paced thriller that Volgafilm sees as an excellent fit for its Russia and CIS region audiences.