Fortress of War

"Surrender was not an option"

2010 2h 18m RU

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 203

WarDramaHistoryAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The film covers the heroic defence of the Brest Fortress, which was attacked during the first strike of German invaders on June 22 1941. The story describes the events of the first days of the defence, including the three main resistance zones, headed by the regiment commander, Pyotr Mikhailovich Gavrilov, the commissar Efim Moiseevich Fomin and the head of the 9th frontier outpost, Andrey Mitrofanovich Kizhevatov. Many years later veteran Alexander Akimov again recalls the memories of the time, when he, then a 15 year old Sasha Akimov was deeply in love with the beautiful Anya and suddenly found himself in the middle of the bloody events of war.

“Surrender was not an option”

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Cast

Andrey Merzlikin
лейтенант Кижеватов
Pavel Derevyanko
Ефим Фомин
Veronika Nikonova
Анна Кижеватова
Evgeny Tsyganov
лейтенант Почерников
Anna Tsukanova-Kott
Соня
Aleksei Kopashov
Сашка Акимов
Alexander Korshunov
Пётр Гаврилов
Yana Esipovich
жена Кижеватова

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alexander Kott
Writers: Vladimir Eryomin, Konstantin Vorobyov, Igor Ugolnikov
Languages: Russian, German, French, Belarusian, Ukrainian
Countries: Belarus, Russia

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 52% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 16 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 5 languages: Russian, German, French, Belarusian, Ukrainian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Belarus, Russia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alexander Kott, shot by Vladimir Bashta. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Yuri Krasavin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Andrey Merzlikin and Pavel Derevyanko and Veronika Nikonova carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Surrender was not an option".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alexander Kott directs. Vladimir Bashta behind the camera. Yuri Krasavin scores. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Belarus, Russia. Dialogue in Russian, German, French, Belarusian, Ukrainian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 52% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 16 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 5 languages: Russian, German, French, Belarusian, Ukrainian.
4International production across 2 countries: Belarus, Russia.
5Directed by Alexander Kott, shot by Vladimir Bashta. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Yuri Krasavin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Andrey Merzlikin and Pavel Derevyanko and Veronika Nikonova carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Surrender was not an option".
9IMDB entry: tt1343703 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Vladimir Bashta
Original score: Yuri Krasavin
Production design: Alim Matveychuk
Costume design: Sergey Struchev
Makeup / hair: Svetlana Belskaya
Sound: Alexander Volodin
Stunt coordinator: Vladimir Karpovich
Runtime: 138 min · 2h 18m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $8,500,000
Box office: $4,404,729
Return: 52% of budget
Original language: RU
IMDB: Fortress of War (2010)

Awards

Nika Award for Best Costume Design

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Alexander Kott

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

deepkino2025-09-16
In his desperate quest to find his girlfriend lost in the war, a young trumpeter from the Brest Fortress orchestra must battle through hell. He actively participates in and survives the horrors of the combat during his search. When you are watching this film, you are instantly transported to the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic in the summer of 1941, thanks to the film's incredibly realistic scenes based on true events. However, it conveys more than just the battle; it shows the profound devastation that remained.

Production companies