Saving Bella

Saving Bella (2026)

Красавица

December 1941. Leningrad. A soldier is assigned to guard the city zoo in the midst of World War II. There, among starving workers and dying animals, he forms an unexpected bond with Bella the hippo. As the siege tightens, this fragile connection becomes his only anchor, forcing him to choose between survival and compassion in a world falling apart.

Date of release
2026-02-19
TMDB
4.8 / 10 (5)
Runtime
1h 43m
Genres
War, History, Drama
Director
Anton Bogdanov

Casting

Interesting facts

Krasavitsa is a 2026 Russian historical adventure film written, produced, and directed by Anton Bogdanov, based on the true story of the rescue of animals from the siege of Leningrad. The film stars actress Yulia Peresild as Evdokia Ivanovna Dashina, a real-life zookeeper who helped the hippopotamus named 'Krasavitsa' ('Beauty') and other animals survive the difficult years of the siege. The film also stars Slava Kopeykin, Stasya Miloslavskaya, Viktor Sukhorukov, Ivan Dobronravov, and Vladimir Afanasyev. The film tells the story of the efforts to save a hippopotamus named Krasavitsa, voiced by Mariya Aronova.

Production

Anton Bogdanov served as director, screenwriter, and producer. The film is based on the true story of the selfless rescue of animals from the Leningrad Zoo in the winter of 1941, including the hippopotamus Krasavitsa.

Principal photography launched in late January 2025 in Saint Petersburg.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

Recommended