Mumbai: The Walt Disney Company CIS has joined forces with Russia’s filmmakers for their first Russian produced feature, The Book of Masters which will be directed by Vadim Sokolovsky, the local production and acquisitions director for The Walt Disney Company CIS. The film started shooting in Sep outside Minsk. Upon completion of the first stage of shooting, production will then move on to the Mosfilm Studio stages. Russian premiere is scheduled for fall 2009.

.Nikita Mikhalkov’s Three T Studio is the production company. Three T Studio is known for movies like 12, The Councilor of State, Barber of Siberia, Burnt by the Sun and  Urga.

"We are very happy that the first Russian Disney movie starring Russian actors will be adapted from Russian fairy-tales we all know from childhood," said The Walt Disney Company CIS managing director Marina Jigalova-Ozkan. "The Book of Masters is targeted to a family audience. This is a light-hearted comedy adventure told with love and self-deprecating humor. We hope that both children and adults will enjoy the adventures of our characters. "

Sokolovsky director and co-author of the screenplay said, "I have always longed to shoot a modern film adaptation of a kind-hearted fairy-tale. I am thrilled to have this opportunity in the first Disney project."

The Book of Masters stars several generations of actors including some young stars. The film’s cast includes: Leonid Kuravlyov, Valentin Gaft, Irina Apeksimova, Olga Arosjeva, Mikhail Efremov, Gosha Kutsenko, Artur Smolyaninov, and two large-screen debutants. The featured actors are Maria Andreyeva, a Pyotr Fomenko Workshop Theatre actress, and Maxim Loktionov, student of the Drama Department of the L.V. Sobinov State Conservatory at Saratov.