A Dog Named Palma (Russian: Пальма) is a 2021 Russian children's drama film directed by Aleksandr Domogarov Jr., based on real events that took place in 1974–1976 at the Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport.
It was released theatrically on March 18, 2021, by Central Partnership.
Contents
Plot
In 1977 Soviet Union, the owner of a German Shepherd named Palma flies abroad. But Palma hides at the airport and waits for her owner. She befriends nine-year old boy named Kolya Lazarev whose mother dies leaving him with a father he barely knows - a pilot who finds the dog at the airport. It is a story of amazing adventures, true friendship and unconditional love.
Cast
Viktor Dobronravov as Vyacheslav Lazarev, an aircraft commander
Liliya (German Shepherd) as Palma
Leonid Basov as Kolya Lazarev, a boy
Vladimir Ilyin as Sergey Tikhonov, an airport technician, Nina Tikhonova's father
Valeriya Fedorovich as Nina Tikhonova, a stewardess, Sergey Tikhonov's daughter
Evgeniya Dmitrieva as Lyubov Zhurina, head of the flight squad of OJSC "Soviet Aeroflot"
Igor Khripunov as Evgeny Golikov, head of the Soviet Security Service
Anna Volkova as Anya
Pavel Maykov as Georgy Krasilov, co-pilot
Vladimir Simonov as Ivan Lysko
Yan Tsapnik as Igor Polsky, owner of the shepherd Palma
Filipp Savinkov as Kravchenko, a male flight attendant
Darya Luzina as Anna, a flight attendant
Elena Anisimova as Raisa Semenovna, an aviation cashier
Bain Bovaldinov as Fedya, a policeman
Production
In 1976 the Komsomol Truth published an article about this called Waiting for Two Years, written by Yuri Rost, in 1988, based on the article, a feature film was made Tethered to the Runway (ru), directed by Vladimir Khmelnitsky.
Casting
More than 300 children passed the casting for the role of the boy Kolya Lazarev, before the director approved Leonid Basov. For him, this is his film debut.
Filming
Principal photography of the film took place in one of the airports near Moscow and the Belarusian Brest. The local airport, which retained its Soviet interiors and was not very busy, was best suited to reproduce the atmosphere of the 70s. About 500 residents of Brest were used as extras for the crowd scenes.
Release
The Russian premiere of the film took place on March 18, 2021 by Central Partnership.
Sequel
In October 2021, the film's creators announced they had begun work on a sequel, Palma 2. It was scheduled for release on March 20, 2025.