National Media Group, Wink video service, CTC TV channel and "Hands Up! PRODUCTION" present a project to help children, parents and teachers facing bullying. It implements the social mission of the musical drama "Crybaby" (16+) - to disclose the topic of bullying to the maximum extent, informing everyone who may face this phenomenon on how to recognize bullying and resist it. Viewers will see new examples in the third episode of the series, which will premiere on Wink on October 5.
As part of the project, the platform "Ya ne plaksa" (meaning "I am not a crybaby") (yaneplaksa.рф) - a special site that collects information about what bullying is, its consequences and ways to combat it. In addition, the platform provides contacts of helping non-profit organizations (NPOs) and specialized foundations, as well as hotlines for children, parents and teachers. Information for the site was prepared under the supervision of a professional child psychologist.
The hashtag #yaneplaksa (meaning "I am not a crybaby") will also be a part of the social project. The creators of the series suggest using it in social networks for teenagers who are going through a tough moment related to bullying in order to attract the attention of friends, family, teachers and NGO specialists. Kids are often afraid to admit to facing bullying, and the hashtag will help signal problems without talking about them out loud.
Disclaimers with the website address and a QR code with a link appear at the beginning and the end of each episode of "Crybaby." New episodes of the series are released on the Wink video service on Thursdays.
"Crybaby" is a very personal project for me and for my daughter Niki, who played her first big movie role in the series. She used to have serious disagreements with her classmates. But this is not a private story: school bullying is statistically something most teenagers face. That's how it is now and how it used to be, when the word bullying didn't exist yet. I as well was once harassed by my classmates for standing out and going to contests. Our series is a kind of video book about bullying, its manifestations and ways to overcome it. About how important it is to be attentive to children, their peculiarities and help their talents. Therefore, it is necessary that the series should be watched by all generations - schoolchildren, moms, dads, grandparents and teachers. If after watching it the generations understand each other a little better, it means that nothing was in vain and we have done a good job," - said the author of the idea and general producer of the series Sergey Zhukov.
"Sincerely made movies are one of the best ways to convey to a wide audience the values and meanings important to everyone. That's why Wink supports movies and series that not only entertain the viewer, but also inform on something complicated and relatable to many people. Though sometimes it's not the most enjoyable things, like bullying, it is impossible to keep silent about the problem, which, unfortunately, affects millions of teenagers. From a movie project "Crybaby" grows into a social project, which reflects that we decided to draw attention to this topic in a very timely manner. I hope that the initiatives that are being launched as part of our project will help not only teenagers facing bullying, but also, and no less importantly, adults who are looking for ways to support children," said Anton Volodkin, CEO of the Wink video service (a joint venture between Rostelecom and NMG).
"For National Media Group, integrating helping tools into content and building a socially transformative ecosystem around entertainment content is a regular practice that has shown its effectiveness in such projects as "Chiks", "The Flock", "Troubled Teens", "Aunt Marta" and others. As a leading producer and distributor of media content, we realize our responsibility for the social effect of the content we produce, and this effect is especially important when it comes to teenage and youth audiences. The topic of school bullying is quite relevant today and it is essential for us to provide maximum assistance to the viewers who will watch the series and recognize themselves and their problems in the characters," said Maria Zalunina, head of CSR at National Media Group, the series' impact producer.
"Crybaby" is an 8-episode project from the Wink Originals lineup. The digital premiere of the series was presented on the Wink platform on September 28, 2023. In the new season the series will be shown by the CTC TV channel. The general producer of the series is Sergei Zhukov, the production director is Andrei Silkin. The project starred Nika Zhukova, Vanya Dmitrienko, Agata Mutseniece, Roman Mayakin, Irina Rozanova, Tatiana Orlova and others.
In the plot of the series "Crybaby" family schoolgirl Masha (Nika Zhukova) is forced to move from Moscow to Novomorsk. After the elite gymnasium on Rublyovka it is not easy for the girl to put up with the rules of the provincial school. The house of her grandmother (Irina Rozanova) has its own rules of life as well. At the new school Masha becomes a victim of bullying - sophisticated psychological and physical harassment by a group of classmates. The pressure is becoming harsh due to Masha’s feelings for the boyfriend (Alexei Onezhen) of the main star and rebel of the school, Chris (Diana Yenakaeva). And they both turn out to be rivals for the right to go to a music festival. With the filing of Chris, the nickname "Crybaby" stuck to Masha. To cope with problems and tears, the heroine is helped only by music and a group that she has gathered together with other students (Vanya Dmitrienko, Daniil Muravyov, Sofya Nikolaeva).