First Squad: The Moment of Truth Acquired by Anchor Bay Entertainment
Humberto Saabedra
The Canadian/Russian/Japanese co-production in First Squad has been acquired for U.S. distribution by Anchor Bay Entertainment following festival screenings in 2009 and winning awards such as the Kommersant Newspaper’s Prize at the Moscow International Film Festival, as well as Best Animated Feature at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. The film has also screened at the Locarno, Moscow, Tallinn, Sitges and Fantastic Fest film festivals.
The film is a co-production between Moscow-based Molot Films and Japan’s Studio 4C, with Los Angeles-based XYZ Films brokering the US distribution deal with Anchor Bay. The film also features a breakcore-influenced score composed by renowned Japanese DJ and producer DJ KRUSH.
Synopsis:
Set during the opening days of World War II on the Eastern Front, its main cast is a group of Soviet teens with extraordinary abilities. The teenagers have been drafted to form a special unit to fight the invading German army. They are opposed by a Schutzstaffel (SS) officer who is attempting to raise from the dead a supernatural army of crusaders from the 12th Century Order of the Sacred Cross and enlist them in the Nazi cause.
