Tetris 2023

Movie · 118 min · English, Japanese, Russian · March 15, 2023

Biographical Political thriller Thriller

Directed by Jon S. BairdWritten by Noah Pink

Starring Taron Egerton, Nikita Yefremov, Sofia Lebedeva, Anthony Boyle, Toby Jones

Tetris is a 2023 biographical political thriller film that recounts the real-life race to license and patent the video game Tetris from Soviet Russia in the late 1980s during the Cold War. Directed by Jon S. Baird and written by Noah Pink, the movie features Taron Egerton, Nikita Efremov, Sofia Lebedeva, and Anthony Boyle. The story centers on Henk Rogers of Bullet-Proof Software, who discovers the game Tetris, created by Alexey Pajitnov, at an electronics show. Seeking to secure handheld console rights for Nintendo, he journeys between Japan, the United States, and Russia to win legal battles over the game's ownership.

Development started in July 2020. Principal photography commenced in Glasgow in December 2020, including scenes at Glasgow Prestwick Airport. In February 2021, filming occurred in Aberdeen, using locations such as the University of Aberdeen's Zoology Building. The production continued for 7 days around the former (RAF) military base at Balado in Perth & Kinross. Final shoots wrapped in early March 2021.

The film debuted at the SXSW Film Festival on March 15, 2023 and was released on March 31 by Apple TV+. Critics responded positively to the film’s execution.