April 23, 2026. Polar Station in Pavilion 9 of Mosfilm: How the Sets of the Film “Survive in the Ice” Are Made Production designer Yulia Makushina told Mosfilm.ru about the creation of “living” interiors for Mosfilm’s new project.

Crossing the pavilion threshold, the film crew and actors literally transfer themselves into the enclosed world of the polar explorers, cut off from the mainland by thousands of kilometers. How authentically the actors manage to embody their roles is immediately apparent from the first glance at the filling of the objects. In the radio cabin — massive tube transmitters and oscillographs, reminiscent of reliable but heavy technology from the past. In the diesel-electric station — an imitation of the operation of powerful diesel generators, creating visual noise and the texture of the expedition’s “machine department.”Medical blocks filled with specific inventory, enameled trays, and glass cabinets, inspiring both hope and anxiety at the same time. But the center of attraction, undoubtedly, became the cabin company.

“I reviewed a huge amount of photo and video materials from real stations of that period, and I managed to create a general collective image,” shared the production designer Yulia Makushina with Mosfilm.ru. “I wanted the interiors to convey that real diverse people live there — with a sense of humor, alive. Therefore, in the cabin company, a mural appeared on the wall with penguins among palm trees against the sea background. This is a special reminder that polar explorers are not robots, but ordinary people who can even joke in harsh conditions.”

The cabin-compartment room is designed as a multifunctional space: a recreation area with a ping-pong table, an open library, a kitchen, a dining room, and even a storage area for first aid supplies. Many household items with a polar theme were specially sought out by the artists — something was acquired at the capital’s “flea market” to give the setting a sense of time and authentic history.

Work on the sketches was carried out in close contact with the director. Yulia Makushina specifically noted that during the construction development, the tradition of considering the distance to the backgrounds for convenient work with light, as well as the space for movement of operators and actors, was observed. The filming crew even thought through the look from the windows: the frame will show a snowstorm and an arctic landscape created with the help of graphics, for which unique backgrounds have already been shot on location for organic composition. In the “Mosfilm” pavilion, a set with the “Drilling Rig” decoration has also been filmed.

The construction of the complex took two months. Now the team with the production designer continues to work on another filming location — an airplane cabin.

“I am very grateful to the head of ‘Mosfilm-Dekorstroi’, Andrey Gorsky, the architectural bureau, as well as all the teams of this division: the stage crews, carpenters, locksmiths, drapers, props, and painters,” emphasized the artist-director. “Everyone was working towards me, helping to implement the idea conceived in the sketch in the pavilion. I would also like to thank the producers of the film, who, despite all the difficulties, actively supported the artistic vision.”

Let us remind that the action of the film “The Ice Doctor” unfolds at the beginning of the 1980s. The central characters of the film are employees of a polar station in Antarctica, who found themselves in an extreme situation during one of the wintering periods.

The film “The Ice Road” is being produced with the funds of the film concern “Mosfilm” – without attracting government budget or sponsorship financing.