Russia's national film committee has reportedly selected 9 rota (Ninth Company) as the Russian entry in the 2006 Academy Awards in the best foreign film category.9 rota is based on the story of a company of the 345th Guards Airborne Battalion that held an outpost along the road to Khost during 1988's Operation Magistral, the last major Soviet operation before the withdrawal in 1989. The desantniki held the outpost despite assaults by mujaheddin and - allegedly - Pakistani troops until a road-bound column arrived. [Left, in a scene from the movie.]
Director Feodor Bondarchuk follows a group of typical army draftees through basic training and into the Afghan hills during the latter days of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. The film vividly portrays the harsh training and racial tensions within the Soviet army. Bondarchuk (right) stars in the movie as Hohol, a platoon leader in the company.When released last year 9 rota quickly became the largest grossing film in Russian cinema history. The film was shot in Ukraine which co-operated by supplying the film with locations, props, equipment and soldiers. Some sequences were filmed in Uzbekistan.
The action sequences in the film are real with little or no computer generated explosions. In the still (left), for example, a BRDM light armoured vehicle of the relief column is destroyed by mujaheddin. The round object in mid-air is the turret of the actual vehicle, blown up by the special effects crew.9 rota is available on DVD, in widescreen, Russian with English subtitles. According to some sources the DVD is not region-specific, meaning it can be played on any DVD player. Be careful, however. The listing on amazon.com states the DVD is not region-specific yet then notes it is in PAL format.
North American video tape and DVD is formatted in NTSC, not PAL. Following is an excerpt from the final scene.
