FEATURE Russia primed to embrace world
Can Russia become a significant co-production partner now it has entered Eurimages and established a production fund with a brief to push international and collaborative projects higher up the agenda? Andreas Wiseman reports
O
ne of the world’s fastest-growing film markets, the local box office in Rus- sia exceeded $1bn for the first time in 2010. This was thanks to a fast-
modernising exhibition sector and a growing middle class increasingly hungry for US block- busters and privately bankrolled home-grown comedies. However, despite the box-office boom, the
local industry has been in restructuring mode since the Russian Cinema Fund (RCF) took over from the Ministry of Culture as the lead source of state film funding in 2010. With a total annual film subsidy of $88.3m (RUB2.8bn), the Cinema Fund, headed by executive director Sergei Tol- stikov, has a remit to expand collaboration between Russian and foreign producers. “Russian film-making is particularly Rus-
sian-centric,” explains Elena Romanova, the head of the RCF’s international department. “The relationships between Russian and inter- national producers need strengthening. We need to be more international. In 2010, the RCF had 17 applications for co-production funding. This year, we expect at least 30 applications, at least 22 of which I know are strong productions with substantial European partners.” Five projects have received RCF funding
from $207,000-$923,000 (¤157,000-¤700,000) in 2011 (see p40). They include Arik Kaplun’s $4.6m (¤3.5m) tragicomedy Eternity Water, a co-production between Germany’s X-Filme Creative Pool, Russia’s Studio FAF and Israel’s Evanstone Films. Romanova says she expects this number to rise significantly over the next few years. Crucially, several key international co-pro-
duction treaties have also been signed during 2011, notably with Germany, which is Russia’s most frequent co-production partner. Russia already has agreements with Canada, Italy, Bul- garia, France and the CIS countries.
In June 2011, three German film funds, the
German Federal Film Board (FFA), Medien- board Berlin-Brandenburg and Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM), signed a $198,000 (¤150,000) annual co-development agreement with the RCF. “Arthouse projects often seem to be the com-
mon ground when it comes to co-productions with Russia,” says Peter Dinges, CEO of the FFA. “Most of the projects the FFA receives applications for with Russia are arthouse.” “The Russian Cinema Fund has really
changed things for the better,” says German producer Simone Baumann, who is also Ger- man Films’ Eastern Europe representative and German chairperson of the German-Russian Film Academy. “I am very optimistic about the future of co-productions with Russia. The cur- rent system is more transparent than in previ- ous years. There have been 11 co-productions between Russia and Germany since 2006. We hope there can be at least three each year going forward.” For countries signed up to the European Con-
vention on Cinematographic Co-production or that have bilateral international co-production treaties with Russia, getting co-productions off the ground is relatively straightforward. And for the co-productions that fall outside these crite- ria, the rules have now changed to make it easier to qualify for state support from the RCF. Now, just 50% of a film’s funding needs to come from Russia (it was previously 70%) and fewer key creatives are required to be Russian. RCF sup- port also comes tax-free. “The new streamlined approach to film fund-
ing is very important for co-productions,” con- firms Baumann, who was an associate producer on 2011 Russia-Germany-Ukraine co-produc- tion Innocent Saturday. “It is a very different approach to what went before.” The RCF is also exploring the possibility of
Russian co-pros such as The Last Station are expected to increase in number
introducing regional incentives for projects that shoot in Moscow, St Petersburg, Perm, Krasnodar Krai and Primorsky Krai, with the latter becoming a centre for the regional film commissions. The Fund is eager to attract more interna-
tional productions to shoot in Russia. Summit’s The Darkest Hour and Paramount’s Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol recently made use of Russian locations. To service these productions, the film infra-
‘Relationships between Russian and international producers need
strengthening’ Elena Romanova, Russian Cinema Fund
structure needs to be strengthened. Russian World Studios has an impressive facility in St Petersburg to complement its large Moscow operation and is developing further facilities. The delayed 30,000 square metre Glavkino stu- dio complex is also now under construction near Moscow. But progress is slow: “Visas, different bank-
ing methods, language, different production methods — the age-old obstacles are still there,”
at
MADRID, 1987 If they can escape, will they ever be free
from what happened inside? Drama / Spain / 2011 / Spanish / Screening / 104’
BERLIN OFFICE: Suite Washington 100 (1st Floor) Marriott Hotel Offi ce Number: +49 3 022 000 6710
Executives attending:
Marina Fuentes - Partner +34 630 011 329
marina@6sales.es Mar Abadín - Head of Sales +34 666 517 281
mar@6sales.es
n 38 Screen International at the Berlinale February 9, 2012
Madrid218x75.indd 1
Director: DAVID TRUEBA Cast: JOSÉ SACRISTÁN, MARÍA VALVERDE
TODAY at 13:00 Arsenal 2
» 31/01/12 15:06
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64