The romantic war drama film Firebird hit theaters last April 29, directed, co-written, and co-produced by Peeter Rebane in his feature directorial debut, and is based on Sergey Fetisov’s memoir The Story of Roman. Set at the height of the Cold War, it follows the story of a young soldier who forms a forbidden relationship with a fighter pilot. The film stars Tom Prior, Oleg Zagorodnii, and Diana Pozharskaya. The film premiered last year at several LGBTQ+ Film Festivals including the 35th BFI Flare: London Lgbtiq+ Film Festival and at 45th Frameline: San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival where it
Five Movies To Watch When You’re Done With “Firebird”...
Five Movies To Watch When You’re Done With “Firebird”...
- 6/19/2022
- by A.E. Oats
- TVovermind.com
Tom Prior and Oleg Zagorodnii, in the romantic thriller Firebird. Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
Set in Cold War-era Estonia, then occupied by the Soviet Union, a two young men, a soldier and a pilot, fall in love, a dangerous relationship forbidden by homophobic law, in the English-language romantic thriller/drama Firebird. Appropriately, this moving film is debuting in St. Louis just as Cinema St. Louis’ QFest, its celebration of gay-themed film, kicks off on Friday, April 29.
Sergey (Tom Prior), Luisa (Diana Pozharskaya) and Volodja (Jake Thomas Henderson) are an inseparable trio, in military service at the Soviet Air Force base in Estonia, and as the film opens, the three friends have sneaked off to swim on the rocky coast. When a Soviet security patrol catches them, Volodja’s family connections keep them out of trouble but the tension of living in 1977 Soviet-occupied Estonia is made clear. Also made clear in the scene,...
Set in Cold War-era Estonia, then occupied by the Soviet Union, a two young men, a soldier and a pilot, fall in love, a dangerous relationship forbidden by homophobic law, in the English-language romantic thriller/drama Firebird. Appropriately, this moving film is debuting in St. Louis just as Cinema St. Louis’ QFest, its celebration of gay-themed film, kicks off on Friday, April 29.
Sergey (Tom Prior), Luisa (Diana Pozharskaya) and Volodja (Jake Thomas Henderson) are an inseparable trio, in military service at the Soviet Air Force base in Estonia, and as the film opens, the three friends have sneaked off to swim on the rocky coast. When a Soviet security patrol catches them, Volodja’s family connections keep them out of trouble but the tension of living in 1977 Soviet-occupied Estonia is made clear. Also made clear in the scene,...
- 4/29/2022
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Chicago – With the subject of Russia at the top of the news, the roots of their oppressive attitudes are revealed in the new film “Firebird,” opening this Friday April 29th. The fascinating based-on-truth story is set in the Cold War era Soviet Union, and was co-written – with director Peeter Rebane – by Tom Prior, who also portrays Sergey, one of the lead roles in the film.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Sergey is a private in the Soviet Air Force in the 1970s, working in a flight group that is anchored by pilot and senior officer Roman (Oleg Zagorodnii), while at the same time becoming a confidant and friend to a woman officer named Luisa (Diana Pozharskaya). When Roman and Sergey begin an illegal (in the Soviet Union at the time) love affair, the opportunity for blackmail and expulsion floats to the surface. To divert attention, Roman begins an affair with Luisa, and this love...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Sergey is a private in the Soviet Air Force in the 1970s, working in a flight group that is anchored by pilot and senior officer Roman (Oleg Zagorodnii), while at the same time becoming a confidant and friend to a woman officer named Luisa (Diana Pozharskaya). When Roman and Sergey begin an illegal (in the Soviet Union at the time) love affair, the opportunity for blackmail and expulsion floats to the surface. To divert attention, Roman begins an affair with Luisa, and this love...
- 4/29/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
“Firebird,” the first narrative feature by director Peeter Rebane, is clearly a labor of love. It is based on a 1996 memoir by the Russian actor Sergey Fetisov called “A Tale About Roman,” which details a forbidden love affair he had with a handsome fighter pilot on a Soviet air base in Estonia in the 1970s.
Rebane co-wrote the script with Tom Prior, an English actor (“Kingsman: The Secret Service”) who stars as Sergey in the film, and it took them many years to get “Firebird” made and released. Whether all this effort was worthwhile is open to question.
The first half of “Firebird,” set on the base, takes its time to let us see the slow-building attraction between Prior’s Sergey and Roman (Oleg Zagorodnii). Sergey likes to take photographs, and when he first sees Roman, he can’t help but let his camera linger over this man’s eyelashes,...
Rebane co-wrote the script with Tom Prior, an English actor (“Kingsman: The Secret Service”) who stars as Sergey in the film, and it took them many years to get “Firebird” made and released. Whether all this effort was worthwhile is open to question.
The first half of “Firebird,” set on the base, takes its time to let us see the slow-building attraction between Prior’s Sergey and Roman (Oleg Zagorodnii). Sergey likes to take photographs, and when he first sees Roman, he can’t help but let his camera linger over this man’s eyelashes,...
- 4/28/2022
- by Dan Callahan
- The Wrap
At a crucial point in “Firebird,” two perfectly chiseled servicemen steal away from the Soviet Air Force base where they’re stationed for a skinny dip in the Baltic Sea. Behind craggy rocks and away from prying eyes, they kiss, before one gives the other a charged underwater handjob; as they jointly climax, director Peeter Rebane cuts to an image of two fighter jets blazing overhead, the lovers’ clenched moans drowned in a roaring sonic boom. Subtlety is in short supply in “Firebird,” a swooning gay romance that firmly supplants “Top Gun” as the queerest film ever set in the air force; it may even top Tony Scott’s closeted kitschfest for most phallic military imagery per frame.
But if such isolated moments of hot-and-bothered vulgarity suggest a winking exercise in heightened horniness, “Firebird’s” story of forbidden love in an oppressive authoritarian regime is otherwise played, for want of a better word,...
But if such isolated moments of hot-and-bothered vulgarity suggest a winking exercise in heightened horniness, “Firebird’s” story of forbidden love in an oppressive authoritarian regime is otherwise played, for want of a better word,...
- 4/28/2022
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
True story of lovers thwarted by the repressive Soviet military in the 1970s has sadly not lost any of its relevance
Made last year but suddenly obliquely relevant after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this Estonian-British co-production examines some of the ways a repressive and homophobic state apparatus scars citizens with shame. Based on a true story according to the opening credits, the setting is the late 1970s when the Soviet Union still occupied the Baltic nations. Provincial Russian youth Sergey Serebrennikov is doing his national service at an army base in Estonia. He has a coy flirtation going with local beauty Luisa (Diana Pozharskaya), a secretary on the base for a commanding officer, and he is pally with his bunk mate Volodja (Jake Henderson). However, when Sergey is assigned to serve as a sort of valet to suave ace fighter pilot Roman Matvajev (Ukrainian actor Oleg Zagorodnii), the attraction...
Made last year but suddenly obliquely relevant after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this Estonian-British co-production examines some of the ways a repressive and homophobic state apparatus scars citizens with shame. Based on a true story according to the opening credits, the setting is the late 1970s when the Soviet Union still occupied the Baltic nations. Provincial Russian youth Sergey Serebrennikov is doing his national service at an army base in Estonia. He has a coy flirtation going with local beauty Luisa (Diana Pozharskaya), a secretary on the base for a commanding officer, and he is pally with his bunk mate Volodja (Jake Henderson). However, when Sergey is assigned to serve as a sort of valet to suave ace fighter pilot Roman Matvajev (Ukrainian actor Oleg Zagorodnii), the attraction...
- 4/19/2022
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
"I see what goes on under my nose." Roadside Attractions has debuted a second official US trailer for an Estonian Cold War love triangle romantic thriller titled Firebird. It's now opening in April this spring after being delayed from release last fall. The film is made in Estonia but it's shot in English. At the height of the Cold War, a troubled soldier enters a forbidden love triangle with a fighter pilot and his female comrade amid the dangerous surroundings of a Soviet Air Force Base. Firebird shares the true story of forbidden love on a military base. This film is a journey of following love at all costs, of growing up, and of courage even in the most impossible of situations. It's inspired by the true story of Sergey Fetisov. The film stars Tom Prior as Sergey, along with Oleg Zagorodnii, Diana Pozharskaya, Jake Thomas Henderson, Margus Prangel, Ester Kuntu,...
- 3/17/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: Roadside Attractions has acquired North American rights to Peeter Rebane’s theatrical feature directorial debut, Firebird, with plans to release it exclusively in theaters on April 29.
Based on a true story that unfolded during the Cold War, Firebird is a love story set against the backdrop of a Soviet Air Force base in Estonia during late 1970s 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 turns upside down when he locks eyes with Roman (Oleg Zagorodnii), an 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 were met with the severest punishment. As their friendship grows into love, the men...
Based on a true story that unfolded during the Cold War, Firebird is a love story set against the backdrop of a Soviet Air Force base in Estonia during late 1970s 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 turns upside down when he locks eyes with Roman (Oleg Zagorodnii), an 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 were met with the severest punishment. As their friendship grows into love, the men...
- 2/22/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
"You know what happens to men like you?" An official US trailer has debuted for an Estonian Cold War love triangle romantic thriller titled Firebird, which is a slick name for a film like this. At the height of the Cold War, a troubled soldier forms a forbidden love triangle with a fighter pilot and his female comrade amid the dangerous surroundings of a Soviet Air Force Base. Firebird shares the true story of forbidden love, set on a military base at the height of the Cold War. This film is a journey of following love at all costs, of growing up, and of courage even in the most impossible of situations. It's inspired by the true story of Sergey Fetisov. The film stars Tom Prior as Sergey, along with Oleg Zagorodnii, Diana Pozharskaya, Jake Thomas Henderson, Margus Prangel, Ester Kuntu, and Nicholas Woodeson. It premiered at the 2021 BFI Flare...
- 11/3/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The Dream Factory has debuted a new trailer for the love story ‘Firebird.’
Set in the Soviet Air Force during the Cold War. Sergey, a troubled young private, is counting the days till his military service ends. His life is turned upside down when daring fighter pilot Roman arrives at the base. Driven by curiosity, Sergey and Roman navigate the precarious line between love and friendship as a dangerous love triangle forms between them and Luisa, the secretary to the base Commander.
Sergey is forced to face his past as Roman’s career is endangered and Luisa struggles to keep her family together. As the walls close in, they risk their freedom and their lives in the face of an escalating Kgb investigation and the fear of the all-seeing Soviet regime.
Directed by Peeter Rebane, the film stars Tom Prior, Oleg Zagordnii, and Diana Pozharskaya.
Also in trailers – “We’re not ready for this…...
Set in the Soviet Air Force during the Cold War. Sergey, a troubled young private, is counting the days till his military service ends. His life is turned upside down when daring fighter pilot Roman arrives at the base. Driven by curiosity, Sergey and Roman navigate the precarious line between love and friendship as a dangerous love triangle forms between them and Luisa, the secretary to the base Commander.
Sergey is forced to face his past as Roman’s career is endangered and Luisa struggles to keep her family together. As the walls close in, they risk their freedom and their lives in the face of an escalating Kgb investigation and the fear of the all-seeing Soviet regime.
Directed by Peeter Rebane, the film stars Tom Prior, Oleg Zagordnii, and Diana Pozharskaya.
Also in trailers – “We’re not ready for this…...
- 11/3/2021
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Chicago – The 39th edition of the Reeling International Lbgtq+ Film Festival kicks off on September 23rd, 2021, offering 33 feature films and nine short film programs. The Opening Night film is “Firebird,” and will screen at the historic Music Box Theatre beginning at 7pm. For more info and tickets, click REELING39.
Most of the festival will be offered in a “hybrid” format, with screenings available both in theaters and online. The 39th Reeling Film Festival – facilitated by Chicago Filmmakers of the Edgewater neighborhood – continues to be one of the most important cultural events for Chicagoans. Below is a preview of five features, including the Opening Night Film. Click the link below to access the REELING39 website for ticket, schedule and film information.
REELING39 Opens with ‘Firebird’
Photo credit: REELINGFilmFestival.org
Films Of REELING39: Capsule Reviews
Screenings are throughout Chicago (theater indicated after capsule) …
“Firebird” – Based on a true story, Tom Prior is Sergey,...
Most of the festival will be offered in a “hybrid” format, with screenings available both in theaters and online. The 39th Reeling Film Festival – facilitated by Chicago Filmmakers of the Edgewater neighborhood – continues to be one of the most important cultural events for Chicagoans. Below is a preview of five features, including the Opening Night Film. Click the link below to access the REELING39 website for ticket, schedule and film information.
REELING39 Opens with ‘Firebird’
Photo credit: REELINGFilmFestival.org
Films Of REELING39: Capsule Reviews
Screenings are throughout Chicago (theater indicated after capsule) …
“Firebird” – Based on a true story, Tom Prior is Sergey,...
- 9/23/2021
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Opening Night is near – Thursday, September 23rd, 2021 – for the 39th edition of Chicago’s Reeling film festival, an International LGBTQ+ showcase. The Opening film is “Firebird,” a based-on-truth gay love story set in Cold War Russia. It features actor Tom Prior, who co-wrote the film with director Peeter Rebane. For more info and tickets, click REELING39.
Prior is Sergey, a private in the Soviet Air Force. He works in a flight group with pilot and officer Roman (Oleg Zagorodnii) and is a confidant of a woman officer Luisa (Diana Pozharskaya). When Roman and Sergey begin a love affair, the opportunity for blackmail and expulsion floats to the surface. To divert attention, Roman woos and marries Luisa, casting a pall over all the relationships. The film is based on a true story.
REELING39 Opens with ‘Firebird’
Photo credit: REELINGFilmFestival.org
“What really fascinated me about this story is how could...
Prior is Sergey, a private in the Soviet Air Force. He works in a flight group with pilot and officer Roman (Oleg Zagorodnii) and is a confidant of a woman officer Luisa (Diana Pozharskaya). When Roman and Sergey begin a love affair, the opportunity for blackmail and expulsion floats to the surface. To divert attention, Roman woos and marries Luisa, casting a pall over all the relationships. The film is based on a true story.
REELING39 Opens with ‘Firebird’
Photo credit: REELINGFilmFestival.org
“What really fascinated me about this story is how could...
- 9/22/2021
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Project to shoot in Estonia and Malta.
Firebird, a Cold War thriller starring Tom Prior, is set to shoot on location in Estonia and Malta from September 23.
Peeter Rebane is directing the project and has written the screenplay with Prior. Brigita Rozenbrika is producing. No Reservations Entertainment is a co-producer with The Factory, co-founded by Rebane and Adam Brummond.
The project is backed by the Estonian Film Institute through the Film Estonia cash rebate program. Funding comes from private backers in the UK and Switzerland.
Oleg Zagorodnii (The Choice) and Diana Pozharskaya (The Unknown Soldier) also star in the film,...
Firebird, a Cold War thriller starring Tom Prior, is set to shoot on location in Estonia and Malta from September 23.
Peeter Rebane is directing the project and has written the screenplay with Prior. Brigita Rozenbrika is producing. No Reservations Entertainment is a co-producer with The Factory, co-founded by Rebane and Adam Brummond.
The project is backed by the Estonian Film Institute through the Film Estonia cash rebate program. Funding comes from private backers in the UK and Switzerland.
Oleg Zagorodnii (The Choice) and Diana Pozharskaya (The Unknown Soldier) also star in the film,...
- 9/21/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.