Seven Versts Before Dawn

Name: Seven Versts Before Dawn
Genre: War, History, Drama
Released: 2026-04-30
Duration: 1 h 42 min
Rating: 8
Cast: Vasili Guzov

Семь вёрст до рассвета (2026)

1:42 (102 min)

War, History, Drama

Russia

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All about film

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Photo 1

Actors and characters

Production

Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, Студия «Река»

Release date

30 April 2026

Director

Alexandr Andreev

Scenario

Natalja Shumak

All team (12)

Actors

Vasili Guzov

отец Николай

All actors and roles (1)

Short description

In the early days of the Great Patriotic War old Kuzmich from the village of Kurakino guesses that a long war lies ahead. As the village falls under German occupation and repressions intensify, he keeps aloof, arousing suspicions. Following the execution of fellow villagers and accusations of betrayal, Kuzmich agrees to serve as a guide for the German detachment, ostensibly to get a horse and save his family. In reality, however, he is planning a sacrificial deception: through his grandson Vaska, he conveys information about the enemy's route to the Soviet troops. At the critical moment, Kuzmich leads the German mountain troopers into a trap, repeating the feat of Ivan Susanin. At the cost of his own life the old man leads the enemy to perdition, becoming a symbol of the people's resistance.

What's left behind the scenes

The 1940s clothing for the film was made based on modern garments; to remove the bright colors and modern dyes, the clothes were washed repeatedly and treated by hand.
To recreate village life of the 1940s and gather authentic props from that era, the set designers reached out to private collectors, employees of the Velikiye Luki Drama Theater, and local residents.
Fyodor Dobronravov was cast in the lead role without an audition. Producer and creator Marina Selivanova chose Fyodor based on a photograph due to his physical resemblance to Matvey Kuzmin before work on the script had even begun.
All scenes were shot on location or in specially constructed village houses. The filmmakers also built a road, planted gardens, brought in domestic animals, and even set up a beehive.
The film had to be shot in an abandoned village, as inhabited villages contained attributes of modern life: plastic double-pane windows, brightly colored fences, and satellite TV antennas. It was necessary to finish building four houses, including the headquarters, the house with the felt boots, and Kuzmich's own hut. Fences were also installed, a road was laid, and gardens and beehives were created.
At the site where Kuzmin's house was being reconstructed, anti-tank shells and tank fragments from the Great Patriotic War were discovered in the ground. Sappers and EMERCOM employees swept the area and found several more intact munitions before filming the scene in which the house burns down.
Filming took place in the Pskov region.
During the summer shoots, the filmmakers struggled with blooming lupines, trying to keep them out of the frame, as this fodder crop only appeared in the 1950s.
To maintain historical accuracy, the filmmakers worked with archives, engaged consultants, and found an eyewitness to the events—a local elderly woman living in a nursing home.