The Call
Directed by Arseniy Gonchukov
Russia · 2026 · 16 min 35 sec · Horror
Submitted to RTV International Film Festival 2026Synopsis
A sleep-deprived young journalist follows a mysterious call while filming his nighttime investigation and enters a funeral home where something is already waiting for him.
About the film
Dima, a young journalist, has not slept for several days and begins seeing mysterious figures calling him “to another world.” Together with his friend Dasha, he sets out at night in search of the place where this call is coming from and asks her to film everything that happens. Their journey takes them across deserted wastelands and through a strange, abandoned factory, where disturbing signs begin to appear around them. In the end, they enter a funeral home, where the staff seem to have been waiting for Dima for a long time... Shaken, Dasha tries to escape, while her camera captures one final inexplicable event.
Director(s)
Arseniy Mikhailovich Gonchukov was born on March 19, 1979. He is a film director, producer, and screenwriter, and a graduate of the Moscow School of New Cinema. For many years, he has been a champion and passionate advocate of independent cinema. His portfolio includes six feature films. Winner of the Grand Prix at the Window to Europe Film Festival; participant in the 77th Montreal Film Festival and the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market. His films have screened at hundreds of film festivals worldwide.
Film stills
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RTV International Film Festival — Inaugural Online Edition · 2026