Kirill Sokolov to Direct Animated Feature ‘Alone in the Ocean,’ About Freediver Slava Kurilov’s Famed Escape From Soviet Union (EXCLUSIVE)
Russian filmmaker Kirill Sokolov will direct his first animated feature, “Alone in the Ocean”, based on freediver and oceanographer Slava Kurilov’s 1974 escape from the Soviet Union. The project matters because it will use a hybrid animated approach to portray both Kurilov’s dangerous physical journey and his pursuit of professional and personal freedom.
Kurilov escaped by jumping from a Soviet cruise ship in the Pacific, then swam alone for nearly three days before reaching Siargao in the Philippines. Adapted from his posthumously published autobiography, the film will combine live action, motion capture, rotoscoping, 2D and 3D animation, and water simulation; it is produced by Lazy Sunday and The Media Company, which are seeking European partners.
- Kirill Sokolov will direct animated film “Alone in the Ocean”.
- It tells Slava Kurilov’s 1974 escape from the Soviet Union.
- The film will combine several live-action and animation techniques.
New here? Start with this
The Soviet Union was a state where the Communist government tightly controlled travel abroad, and some people who wanted to leave tried to escape. Slava Kurilov was a Soviet freediver and oceanographer, trained to dive underwater without breathing equipment.
In 1974, Kurilov was on a Soviet cruise ship in the Pacific when he jumped into the sea and swam for nearly three days to the Philippine island of Siargao. His journey became known through his autobiography, published after his death. It involved both the physical risks of a long solo swim and the prospect of building a life beyond Soviet control.