Russia Gets Weird In BRANDED (aka MOSCOW 2017, aka THE MAD COW)

To those looking for a really weird example of Russia's growing importance in the international film scene - the nation is building screens at a fantastic rate and currently is establishing itself as one of the top handful of film markets in the world based on box office - need look only as far as Jamie Bradshaw and Alexander Doulerain's Branded.

Co-written and co-directed by the UK based Bradshaw and the Russian based Doulerain, Branded - known variously as Moscow 2017, Moskva 2017, and The Mad Cow - plays out a sort of They Live-on-acid premise set in Russia with a cast of international players that includes - on the western side - Jeffrey Tambor, Max von Sydow, Ed Stoppard and Leelee Sobieski.

Set in a dystopian future where corporate brands have created a disillusioned population, one man's effort to unlock the truth behind the conspiracy will lead to an epic battle with hidden forces that control the world.

The synopsis doesn't even begin to do this thing - which features rampant umbilical cords and weird flying creatures - justice. Roadside Attractions will release this oddity in the US in September but you can see the Russian trailer now.