- What changes that have occurred over the years of the forum, can you note? Did you already get feedback from the foreign guests of the forum this year?

- I get feedback every minute. I just came from a panel discussion in which we participated together with the official guests of the forum - the Minister of Culture of Italy and the Minister of Culture and Sports of Qatar.

Every year our two countries become official guests of the forum. Why Italy? Because this year the "Russian Seasons" in Italy pass. Why Qatar? Because there is a cross year of culture of Russia - Qatar. And Qatar brought, I must say, a huge delegation: musicians, museum workers, several exhibition projects, a theater. This little-known culture is of great interest to us. I will honestly say that I enjoyed being attended yesterday by two events organized by the Qatari side.

The first forum was held in 2012. I came to work at the ministry when the idea of ​​holding an annual cultural forum was born with the governor of St. Petersburg. She was supported by the government.

The idea was ambitious, but difficult to implement. The first forum lasted an hour and a half, 70 people took part in it. And all from Petersburg. Well, they sat down and talked that culture is good, and lack of culture is bad.

I keep saying: St. Petersburg is the world cultural capital. For seven years, a fantastic breakthrough has been made! Thousands of professionals in this field specially come to the forum. Fifty countries sent their official delegations. And this, I will say frankly, is in conditions of deliberately ignoring the forum from a number of states, both the former USSR and the Anglo-Saxon world. This is their policy: ignoring the forum.

But what kind of isolation can there be when fifty official delegations arrived? In total, guests from more than a hundred countries are present at the forum this year ... Badges 35 thousand pieces are registered. The forum showed its incredible demand. We will continue to organize it further.

This event, like everything else in the culture, is done with very little state support. Of course, the main support for us is the attention to the forum by the president. Every year the president came. He believed in this event.

Vladimir Vladimirovich every year comes to the solemn meeting at the Mariinsky Theater, where VIP-guests of the forum gather. And this, of course, imposes on us a huge responsibility as organizers. This inspires many participants - to come, chat, see, see an event, which is personally sponsored by the President of Russia.

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- What achievements of Russian culture in 2018 can you highlight?

- I talked a lot about this, cited statistics. And just in the panel discussion our foreign guests told about it. In short - such achievements.

Over the past six years, we have approximately doubled the involvement of citizens in cultural events ... For the first time this year, the Hermitage has reached Soviet-era attendance - 4.5 million visitors (per year. - RT ). We had a colossal failure in the 90s. And this is not the most popular museum in the country. The most popular is Peterhof.

We are the only country in the world that has achieved free admission for children in all museums (except for some regional museums, but they gradually join this program).

Over the past five years, our attendance at federal theaters has increased by 40%. The revenues from the sale of tickets to federal theaters have doubled, and more than double the revenues from the sale of tickets to federal museums. The attendance of Russian films has doubled.

Of course, we have many shortcomings - there is something to work on. But, probably, this suggests that the efforts that the state makes, and the investments that the state invests in the culture, meet with a lively response from our citizens. Well, we will continue to work.

- What are the figures this year, Russian cinema can boast?

- Last year gave an absolute record in the number of viewers and in the share of Russian cinema. There are two main indicators: the number of viewers and the proportion.

We have an eternal war with Hollywood. Today I said to the Minister of Italy: "I envy you." They in Italy have a protectionist policy to protect their cinema. Not as strong as in France (France is exemplary) and not as strong as in Poland. We do not have. No initiative of the Ministry of Culture, serious, large, is not supported by related departments, not supported by parliamentarians. We live all the time in the illusion that we need to fight Hollywood with the methods of the free market. Such Gaidar methods.

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We are already using the methods of the free market a lot of things in the early 90s? First, as you know, you need to master the rules of someone else's game, and only then go out on a tatami, a football field or sit down to a chessboard. First you need to learn to play by their rules. And we learn on the go. But, again, the last five years have given a qualitative growth of domestic cinema, as an industry, and a qualitative growth of interest from our viewers.

I believe that we are now at the peak. We cannot expect a further increase in the share of Russian cinema without increased protectionism from our side.

Last year - almost 25% of our share. This year maybe a little more. I'm just afraid to guess. But we must understand that we are at the peak. Now, if you continue to try to sell domestic Zhiguli, Lada, Toyota Kaluga assemblies and Maserati at the same price (and we have the same ticket for all movies in the movie, and there are no other protectionist measures), then it is very difficult. I would see how other ministries and departments would compete and defend their industries in such unprecedented market conditions, excessive market conditions, how our cinema works! ..

- And which films from those that came out this year were the most successful? What could you highlight?

- What to highlight is statistics. "Upward movement".

I watch a lot of movies, believe me. And always watched a lot. This is the best sports drama in the history of cinema in the world. That's how they could do it.

Therefore, this film took the first place in the collections for all the years after the collapse of the USSR - including all Hollywood films. Well, lovers, in my opinion, “Avatar” say that he collected a little more. But it is impossible to compare. because, firstly, Avatar had 3D ... Secondly, there was no objective system for counting box office. "Avatar" we estimated approximately.

The successful picture of this year, judging by the number of viewers, is “Ice”. Quite unexpectedly good picture. "Coach", in my opinion, an underestimated picture. You know, I was going to watch her in a cinema with bad feelings. Kozlovsky performed there, in my opinion, and the producer, and even the director. Well nothing. Good, cute, motivating movie. Well done.

- Do you advocate the separation of the actor - director?

- Why separation? What are you! I am for all the good against all the bad. How can Mikhalkov's actor be separated from Mikhalkov's director?

I will tell you that in the case of many artists in general, one cannot even determine the direction of the art in which they are engaged. That Wednesday evening on the eve of the forum - I arrived a little earlier - I was at the exhibition of the artist Yuri Cooper. This is a world star. His paintings are in many world museums, in our Tretyakov Gallery. This is already a young, very deserved person. We saw that he was not only an artist, but also a little set designer, also a director. He wrote a novel. At this evening, the participants read his poems. And beautiful poems, I tell you. Well, here it is ... who has been given it has been given to him.

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- What criteria must the project meet in order to receive state support? From the Cinema Foundation, Board of Trustees?

- Only recently, by the decision of Dmitry Anatolyevich (Medvedev . - RT ), additional powers were delegated to the Ministry of Culture to determine the policies of the Cinema Foundation. Previously, we gave them money and made sure that some nasty thing was not accidentally financed. We had some questions about the work of the Film Foundation, as you know. Although we recognize their success. In some cases, there was a good examination, in some cases, unfortunately, a bad one. Just like in our Ministry of Culture.

You know - we have successful projects. "Sobibor", for example. This film, which was financed as a copyright cinema, turned out to be very commercially successful. Although it would seem, for a commercially successful movie you have to go to the Cinema Fund.

In general, we believe that these approaches - commercial successful cinema, commercially unsuccessful cinema, festival - this is all from slyness. The film is either successful or not. Here are the areas of success may be different: "Oscar", the love of the audience, getting into the list of eternal classics of cinema.

"Andrei Rublev" "Oscar" did not receive, and the box office in the first year he had modest against the background of "elusive avengers." But these are eternal values! This movie, which will always learn to make a movie. That is, the criteria may be different, but the film is either successful and talented, or not.

Therefore, at a meeting with the team of the Cinema Fund, I said: “Guys, we are doing one thing, we have one goal with you absolutely. In general, I would give all the money that the ministry has to pay to the cinema fund. You just show the distribution efficiency! We do not want to deal with the distribution of money. We have other tasks. We will be happy to entrust this business to professionals and will rely on industry expertise - just show us success. ”

- Do you think Sobibor will receive a statuette (Oscar)?

“Well, he certainly will get some kind of statuette.” I'm sure not one. "Oscar" will never get. Let's be realistic: this is politics. You know, I am ready to argue for anything that will not give - although the film is good. But this does not mean that we will not root for him!