EXCLUSIVE: Russian film promotion body Roskino has launched a new export initiative, Russian Content Worldwide, in a bid to aid development of international relationships and interest in the Russian content market. The initiative was launched at the Russian Pavilion in Cannes this week and is direct response to the growing global interest in Russia’s film and television sector.
“Often we have been asked questions about the Russian market and we realized it’s quite difficult for international partners to understand our industry,” said Roskino CEO Evgenia Markova. “This is why Russian Content Worldwide stands on four main values: transparency, assistance, expertise and inspiration. Our aim is to give foreign partners easy and comprehensive access to the wide range of opportunites in the Russian market.”
Russia has six films premiering in the Cannes lineup this year, the biggest representation the country has seen at the fest in decades. Kirill Serebrennikov’s Petrov’s Flu and co-production Compartment No. 6 are both playing In Competition while satirical drama House Arrest from festival veteran Aleksei German Jr. and Kira Kovalenko’s Unclenching The Fists are both playing in the Un Certain Regard section. Ella Mazheeva’s White Road is in the L’Atelier category while interactive animation Under the Pillow will be shown in the XR section.
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“It’s true that it’s a very special year in Cannes for Russia and I’m sure that it’s not a coincidence that new generations of Russian filmmakers are attracting more demand and interest in their job and are very confident in showing their talents,” said Jerome Paillard, exec director of Cannes’ Marché du Film.
Markova agrees and said that the Russian presence on the Croisette this year is a result of collaborative work from the state and industry in supporting fresh, new Russian voices from to the forefront.
“Now we can see that there is an interest on the international circuit for these young filmmakers,” she told Deadline. “There’s a new generation of Russian voices coming not only from Moscow but also from various regions across the country. We saw this trend growing but now it’s just on a completely different scale. Russian content is not just an industry represented by individual masters, as it had been before. It’s really represented by the industry as a whole.”
She added: “The lineup this year also shows that Russia is capable of bringing all types of films to the table. There’s an animation, a co-production, fresh directors – it’s a very interesting selection and I’m looking forward to seeing how it will all develop.”
Last month, Roskino wrapped up its Key Buyers Event: Digital Edition. The virtual platform for Russian content welcomed more than 1600 participants, 750 of which were international, from more than 80 countries with the largest number of buyers coming from the U.S., UK, Germany France and Italy.