Mari Fairy Tales

A most unusual teacher of Mari history and culture appears in school. Instead of announcing the topic of the lesson he retells three tales to the children. These are modern interpretations of the legends of Onar, Irga and Chotkar, the Mari legendary heroes, "the last pagans in Europe". But the deputy school master senses something fishy and tries to expose the teacher.

Director: Denis Shabliy

Screenwriter: Denis Shabliy, Anton Gorynin, Maxim Bryzgalov, Anna Alyokhina, Vladislav Andreev, Oleg Remizov, Daria Kumova, David Sayadyan, Alexander Bannikov, Nadezhda Mamaeva, Natalia Sevryugina, Evgenia Yusupova, Lubov Yunosheva

Producer: Denis Shabliy

Cinematographer: Vildan Askarov, Ivan Semyonov, Dmitry Novikov

Music: Igor Sidenko, Alexei Chintsov, Denis Dronov, Dmitry Pogadaev, Ezhevika Spirkina, Irina Ermolaeva, Timofey Goryashin

Production Designer: Sergey Tanygin

Cast: Oleg Taktarov, Mikhail Bogdasarov, Ivan Kokorin, Vadim Andreev, Irina Temicheva, Roman Popov, Nikita Parshin, Vyacheslav Parshin, Denis Shabliy

Russia

2025

90 min.

Director: Denis Shabliy

Born in 1990 in the village of Sernur, Mari El Republic of the USSR. Graduated from the Mari State University, the Institute of Cinema and TV "Ostankino" (class of E. Germanova) and the Nikita Mikhalkov Academy (class of V. Khotinenko and V. Fenchenko). Winner of the National Youth Cinema Award, Award for Kindness in Arts "For the Sake of Peace", Olyk Ipai State Youth Award of the Mari El Republic. His filmography also includes "Observation Facility" (2020, short) and "U ENG" (2022, doc.). "Mari Fairy Tales" is his feature debut.