Igor Tsay

CEO of Salem Entertainment, is driving the company’s transformation into a leading force in Kazakhstan’s commercial content market. Under his leadership, Salem Entertainment is rapidly emerging as a regional leader in the production and distribution of series and films, successfully integrating into the international film industry.

With a proven track record in commercial cinema across the U.S., China, Korea, and the CIS, along with an extensive network of creative contacts and awards from renowned film festivals such as Berlinale and Sundance, Salem’s projects attract international producers’ interest even before filming begins. This allows the company to adeptly adapt its projects to both global and local trends.

Igor Thay’s film career began at the age of 17 when he directed action scenes for the cult film “Day Watch” in 2004. By the age of 23, he became the first foreigner to direct action scenes for a major Hollywood film, “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” produced by 20th Century Fox. The box office revenue of films featuring action scenes directed by Igor Tsay exceeds $300 million. His debut high-budget project as a producer, “He-Dragon,” became the highest-grossing Russian film in international distribution in 2016, garnering over 200 million views online in China.

Films produced by Igor Tsay in the U.S., with a combined budget of around $10 million, have grossed over $100 million at the box office.