Palmyra (Russian: Пальмира, romanized: Palmira, lit. 'Palmyra'), or (Russian: Однажды в Пустыне, lit. 'Once in the Desert') is a 2022 Russian war film directed by Andrei Kravchuk, tells about the sappers who work the Russian military operation in Syria.
It was theatrically released on February 17, 2022.
Contents
Plot
Set in May 2016, the film follows a Russian sapper who is deployed to demine the ancient city of Palmyra, which had been seized by militants. While preparing the area for a concert by the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, he hopes for a reunion with a local girl he once helped. As the team approaches the historic site, tensions within the military unit rise, and the surrounding atmosphere grows increasingly perilous, capturing the intensity and complexity of the Syrian conflict.
Cast
Aleksandr Robak as Shaberov
Pavel Chinaryov as Zhilin
Aleksandr Metyolkin as Makarsky
Ekaterina Nesterova as Jamila
Igor Gordin as Major general
Polina Pushkaruk as Zhilin's wife
Vitaliya Korniyenko as Zhilin's daughter
Anna Potebnya as Shaberov's daughter
Aleksey Komashko as the groom of Shaberov's daughter
Production
Filming
Principal photography took place in the Republic of Crimea, and was completed in November 2020, with some of the filming done by Syrian film producers who shot outdoor scenes in Palmyra itself for the producers.