This week the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, Alexander Avdeev, responded to questions from State Duma deputies. The minister spoke about how the state plans to help promote Russian films on foreign markets.
– What measures are being taken to stimulate the development of joint film production with other countries and attract foreign companies and investors to create films in Russia?
– We are working to help create new business platforms to assist producers in finding foreign partners and distributors. In recent years we have made substantial progress in joint film production with foreign countries. From 206 to 2009, 36 such projects were completed with a cumulative budget of around 360 million rubles.
Joint film projects in most cases require a lower level of state support. Furthermore, coproduction projects with foreign partners come with a sort of guarantee on quality and the timely completion of the project. The number of coproduction projects that will be granted state support will be determined after we all the projects presented by producers and the decision will be made based on an assessment of their quality.
This year during the Moscow Film Festival, we plan to hold the Second Moscow Coproduction Forum, which is aimed at facilitating partnerships between Russian and foreign producers. The Zavtra festival this fall will include a market for unfinished film projects.
We hope that this year we will complete the procedures for Russia’s entry into the European Convention on Cinematographic Coproduction and sign a bilateral agreement on film coproduction with Germany. This should provide a new impulse for coproduction.
In terms of attracting foreign film companies to work in Russia, things are more complicated. The countries tourism infrastructure is poorly developed, there are no subsidies or tax exemptions for foreign film crews working on the territory of our country. They will nonetheless proceed with their big budget films, so why not let them do it on the territory of our country, creating new jobs and stimulating the Russian film studios that could provide services to such projects, as well as the service sector (hotels, restaurants, transport, etc.).
Organizations specialized in this area have proven their effectiveness in promoting several regions in Russia and attracting foreign cinematographers. We support the creation of the National Film Commission as a noncommercial organization uniting the interested regions and representatives of film companies and film commissions working in these areas.
– What measures will be taken to promote Russian films abroad?
– In 2008 we came out with the initiative to create an autonomous specialized noncommercial organization to promote Russian films abroad and to integrate Russia into the international film industry via the already existing company Sovexportfilm. This initiative is corresponds to the priorities of the Russian government with regard to Promotion of the Russian Culture through 2012, and it is reflected in our draft Concept for Restructuring the Organization of Cinematography under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture from 2009 to 2015.
This noncommercial organization should become an independent specialized company implementing systemic policies for promotion of Russian cinematography on the whole, and not just the films of certain companies, as well as the promotion of the Russian Federation through films. It has been suggested that the oversight of the company should be split between its founders – the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It is our hope that this initiative will find support and understanding within the relevant state bodies and the Cabinet. Its implementation will substantially increase the effectiveness of the promotion of Russian films abroad.
At present, we are engaged in systematic promotion of Russian films at the largest film presentation platforms, including in Berlin and Cannes, where consolidated stands representing Russian films are present. In many countries throughout the world Russian film weeks are held, which supports interest in our films.
