The film company 'Central Partnership' has presented the first teaser trailer for the historical-adventure film 'Battle of Motors', which will be released in theaters in the fall of 2026. The film transports viewers to the early 20th century and addresses little-known pages of the history of domestic automotive manufacturing.
The plot centers around car enthusiast and racer Andrei Nagel, played by Ivan Yankovsky. His character, along with engineer-designer Dmitry Bondarev, portrayed by Yura Borisov, takes on the task of creating the first serial Russian car 'Russo-Balt'. To prove the viability of the project and compete with European manufacturers, the team decides on a risky step – participating in the prestigious Monaco rally. The screenplay is based on real events from 1908, although the story has received an artistic reinterpretation.
The film is directed by Ilya Malanin, marking his second feature-length project. The film will showcase not only the races and technical details but also the human relationships, internal motivations of the characters, and the cost of ambition. The creators emphasize that this is not a classic biopic, but a dramatic story about faith in progress, partnership, and overcoming circumstances.
For the filming, retro cars were specially recreated based on historical blueprints. The cars were adapted to modern safety and dynamics requirements to achieve spectacular racing scenes. Some episodes were filmed in Russia, while foreign locations – Germany, France, and the Alps – were reproduced using on-location shoots in Serbia and Montenegro, as well as computer graphics.
The cast also includes Paulina Andreeva, Alexey Guskov, Anton Rogachev, Alexey Rozin, and others. The authors position the film 'Battle of Motors' as a large-scale production drama with elements of a road movie, where the heroes' journey is measured not only in kilometers but also in personal transformations.
