At the Fifth meeting of the heads of film studios of the CIS countries, which was held on Tuesday, August 23, in St. Petersburg, Inna Shalyto, general director of Roskino, announced the demand for Russian films in a number of countries of the Arabian Peninsula and Southeast Asia.
If in China preference is given to Russian sports films, then in the Persian Gulf countries, historical costume films and series, as well as films for family viewing, are especially popular.
The leading positions are occupied by animated Russian films.
According to Shalyto, cultural differences between Russia and the Arab countries do not prevent the emergence of the region's audience interest in Russian film content.
“In the regions we entered, they undoubtedly have certain specifics.
This is the Persian Gulf, this is Southeast Asia.
Of course, our cultural basis is quite different, on the one hand, but, on the other hand, according to the results of this year, today we are still in the middle one way or another, but we can already say that Muslim countries, the countries of the Gulf, for example, in the first the queue is interested in historical costumed dramas and serials, ”TASS reports the words of Shalyto.
The official is sure that in order to promote domestic cinema, it is necessary to conduct tours of film locations in Russia for filmmakers from partner countries.
Currently, together with the Ministry of Culture and other partners, the organization is discussing options for implementing this project.
“Today, we are discussing with the Ministry of Culture and with other partners a project related to tours to the locations of the Russian Federation,” Shalyto told TASS.
As part of the Russian Film Festival, one of the tasks of which is to form a basis for the start of an industrial dialogue between Russian and foreign filmmakers, with the support of the Russian Ministry of Culture, the Days of Russian Cinema were held in Jordan from August 15 to 17.
The three-day screenings, which took place at the Amman Royal Film Commission, started with the full-length adventure drama The Palm by Alexander Domogarov Jr.
In addition, the historical drama The Frenchman by Andrey Smirnov and the tragicomedy The First Snow by Natalia Konchalovskaya were screened.
The Jordan News journalist noted that Russian cinema includes beautifully filmed modern masterpieces and reflects both the state of Russian reality and the essence of Russian culture.
“Russian cinema has impressed the international audience with genuine energy and innovative potential.
Whether arthouse films and independent documentaries or traditional blockbusters, these beautifully filmed masterpieces of modern cinema provide an extremely interesting insight into today's Russia and the essence of its culture.
It is becoming more and more obvious that Russian cinema is an exceptional force to be reckoned with,” writes Isra Radaide.
The attention of the viewers of Southeast Asia, in particular China, unlike the film fans of the Arab world, is more directed to sports films and Russian-made documentaries.
“If we talk about China, then there is a lot of interest in films about human achievements - sports and others.
And documentaries, if relevant to these regions, are also of interest in the markets, including,” Shalyto noted.
In addition, in 2022, the national operator, which promotes Russian films on foreign film markets, held offline and online film screenings in a number of CIS and Latin American countries - Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Brazil and Kazakhstan as part of the Russian Film Festival.
Online festivals are currently taking place in Turkmenistan and Armenia.
Moreover, the participation of Russian companies in various international events also contributes to the promotion of the domestic film industry.
So, in May 2022, during the organized TV market in Dubai (DISCOP Dubai), Russian film companies discussed with foreign partners not only the export of content, but also co-production, and in June more than 30 Russian film companies took part in the international film and television exhibition Telefilm Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam).
In an interview with the Rossiyskaya Gazeta Internet portal, Shalyto said that in the Asian film market, where, in addition to local buyers, there were also delegations from South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, China, India and Thailand, there was an increased demand for Russian animated films.
For example, a deal was successfully concluded with a Vietnamese company for the sale of the full-length adventure cartoon “Buka.
My favorite monster ”, and the rights to the animated series“ Luntik ”was under negotiation.
Shalyto, in the same conversation, noted that the Russian film industry will continue to “strengthen ties with the Middle East,” but will also “actively work with Latin American countries,” in particular with Brazil and Mexico.
“Despite the fact that they are on another continent, they are mentally and culturally close to us.
Today we see the desire to strengthen the dialogue on the part of Brazil and Mexico - these are one of the most important film markets in the Latin American region, ”she concluded.
The Russian Film Week in Brazil was held in June both online and offline.
Sao Paulo hosted screenings of such films by Russian filmmakers as One Breath by Elena Khazanova, First Snow by Natalia Konchalovskaya, and I Want to Get Married by Sonya Karpunina.
The audience also watched a documentary film by Andrei Tarkovsky Jr. “Andrey Tarkovsky.
Cinema as a prayer ”- about the famous film director.
The series “Tenderness” by Anna Melikyan, “Has anyone seen my girl?” were presented in an online format.
Angelina Nikonova, as well as two horror films - "Ice Demon" by Ivan Kapitonov and "Side Effect" by Alexei Kazakov.