Irina Sosnovaya

Biography

Irina Sosnovaya is a film producer and showrunner whose work encompasses scripted series, feature films, and international co-productions. Born in Almaty, Kazakhstan, she has built a career connecting the film and television industries of Central Asia, Russia, and Europe. Sosnovaya began her career on TV, producing documentaries and current-affairs programming. She later held a senior creative position before transitioning to scripted film and television production. Sosnovaya became known for her work with the Russian streaming platform START, where she produced and developed original scripted series. A defining project in her career was "Russian Affairs" (Gold Diggers, originally titled Soderzhanki), a drama series for which she served as producer and showrunner. The series ran for four seasons and reached international audiences through distribution deals with Amazon Prime Video and Channel 4’s Walter Presents. Her other credits for START include "The Storm" (2019), "A Good Man" (2020), "Mediator" (2021), "Sherlock: The Russian Chronicles" (2020), "Container" (2021, 2023) and also "Passengers" (2020), "Alyssa" (2022), "The Duel Club" (2022), "Living Life" (2023), and "Children of Change" (2024). Several of these productions received industry and festival recognition. In 2020, Sosnovaya served as a juror for the International Emmy Awards. Her more recent work includes European and Central Asian film projects. She served as executive producer of "Les Roches Rouges (Red Rocks)" (2026), directed by Bruno Dumont, which premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival and was subsequently selected for the San Sebastián International Film Festival. She also produced "Turgaud" (2026), directed by Kazakh filmmaker Adilkhan Yerzhanov, which premiered at Berlin Critics’ Week in 2026 and was later presented at international festivals. Sosnovaya's credits in Central Asia also include "Black Caviar" (2025), "Target" (2025), and "High Season" (2025). She served as Chief Creative Producer of Kazakhstan's Unico Play streaming platform, overseeing the development of original scripted content. "Black Caviar" (2025) was also presented internationally at MIPCOM Cannes. Her work reflects an ongoing interest in original storytelling and collaboration across production markets, spanning premium television series and films developed for audiences in different countries.