The documentary series about the outstanding Russian artist and world public figure Nicholas Roerich was conceived on the eve of his 150th anniversary, which will be celebrated in 2024. As the first stage of this major international documentary co-production will be actively covered by mass-media to give a positive image of Russia. Next is full-length international co-production feature biopic to reveal multi-faceted talents of this amazing Russian figure of world culture.

GENRE: Biographical detective story
Scriptwriter: Oleg Shishkin
Director: Ilya Khotinenko
Producer: Artemy Belov / C.C.C.P. Studio

Length:
• Documentary film — 52 minutes
• Documentary TV series — 8 episodes, 26 minutes each
• Feature film — 110 minutes

Nicholas Roerich is an outstanding representative of the nation of creators - a pioneer and missionary, explorer and discoverer - one of the largest Russian artists of the 20th century, philosopher, writer, set designer of Diaghilev's projects, traveler, archaeologist, orientalist, public figure, academician of the Imperial (Russian) Academy of Arts (1909).

In 2018, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation made an unprecedented decision: documents of the Roerichs family from the Archives of the Oriental Museum were publicized in the Internet.

This opened the door to make almost a detective investigation in order to find out the true facts about this extraordinary family despite many legends, both imaginary and realistic, as well as to sort out between mystical and true purposes for the Roerichs family traveling in search of mysterious Shambhala.

In the early 1920s, the Central Asia was the arena of confrontation between the Soviet Russia and British colonial empire. A secret war was waged between agents of Soviet intelligence and British MI6 along the border territories of the Pamirs and the Himalayas.
The stakes of this Great Spy Game were high: the independence of India, the integrity of China, the destiny of nations of the vast territories under the British Empire.
Due to various circumstances, such as the search for spiritual aspirations and adventures, the Roerichs family, who were Russian emigrants and people interested in mystics, had to get involved in this secret war. In their travelling they ran across with outstanding Soviet intelligence officers: Ovshe Muchkinovich Norzunov from Kalmykia (1873-1938), Andrei Vladimirovich Stanishevsky (1904-1993) and Boris Ivanovich Pankratov (1892-1979).
For the first time our film reveals an eye-opening information, based on the documents from the archives of the Roerich family, or from other national archives, or from various forensic and artistic examinations.
Setting off in the footsteps of Roerich's expedition, we shall pass through the highlands of Kashmir (India, Pakistan), Mongolia, Russian Altai. We shall travel along the legendary trails of Central Asia to open up our film viewers the epic landscapes of the Himalayas and also to reveal the fates of our real Russian heroes.