Indian filmmakers showed interest in filming opportunities in Moscow, Khanty-Mansiysk, Kaliningrad, and other Russian regions

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization Film Festival in India (27-31 January) has become a platform for dialogue for Russian and Indian film industries. Indian filmmakers are interested in filming in Russian regions, and in opportunities of co-production with Russia.

The SCO Film Festival in Mumbai hosted a film market, within which ROSKINO*, with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, organized a Russian pavilion which presented filming locations in Russia, Russian regional film commissions, and co-production opportunities.

Russia-India Industrial Dialogue

The Russian pavilion attracted a lot of attention from the international professional audience. Indian producers expressed their readiness to participate in location tours in Russia. In particular, foreign filmmakers showed interest in filming opportunities in Moscow, Khanty-Mansiysk, Kaliningrad, as well as in other Russian regions.

Director of the Department of Cinematography and Digital Development of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Davidenko: “India is one of two Asian countries with which Russia has an agreement on joint film production (since September 2019), which provides opportunities for state co-production support. It is in joint projects and partnerships that we see special potential, and Russia’s participation in the SCO Film Festival is a new stage for the development of the film industries of our countries. The Indian side is showing great interest in filming in Russia, in new locations that are hard to access in India, and in working with Russian directors and producers. I am confident that systematic work to develop bilateral cooperation in cinematography will lead to the emergence of interesting new film projects and open up other segments of the creative industry.”

ROSKINO CEO Inna Shalyto: “The request for new locations for filming from foreign producers and directors confirms the timeliness of the new ROSKINO project—organizing location tours—with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. This year we intend to implement a series of location tours for filmmakers from different countries, and the SCO Film Festival has revealed areas of interest—we are already starting to work on specific areas. The Russian film industry is open to cooperation, and we are ready to show the international professional film community the beauty and diversity of our natural and urban landscapes, as well as the capabilities of production and service companies.”

Industrial dialogue between the Russian and Indian film industry at the SCO film festival also touched on the expansion of joint film production. In April, as part of the business program of the 45th Moscow International Film Festival, ROSKINO and representatives of the Russian and Indian film industries will discuss specific steps for creating projects in co-production and film topics that may be of interest to both Russian and Indian viewers.

Cooperation with the largest South Asian content market Film Bazaar in India will continue in 2023, where ROSKINO plans to once again organize the participation of Russian companies under the single brand Russian Content Worldwide (RCW) and present a wide range of projects, including those for co-production.

An important outcome of the meetings at the film market at the SCO Film Festival was the achievement of agreements on holding events in 2023 on the territory of both countries—Indian film days in Russia and Russian film days in India.

Special Jury Award for Russian filmmakers

At the SCO Film Festival, the Russian film “Don’t Bury Me Without Ivan” won the Special Jury Award. “Don’t Bury Me Without Ivan”, directed by Lyubov Borisova, participated in the competition program. Seven Russian films were presented in various programs of the festival.

The Yakut drama, based on real events, shows the friendship between the Russian artist Ivan Popov and the Yakut peasant Stepan Beresekov, who periodically falls into a catatonic sleep. The film was made with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. Director Lyubov Borisova and producer Ivan Bolotnikov presented the film to the audience.

Director Lyubov Borisova: “It is a great honor to receive such recognition at the SCO Film Festival. It is especially wonderful to visit India for the first time and to see the enthusiastic and warm reaction of local viewers to our film. I think that if you make a film with love for the audience, then it will be understood and accepted anywhere in the world.”

Producer Ivan Bolotnikov: “For the international success of the film, it is important to be like no one else. Be yourself. And “Don’t bury me without Ivan” has this quality. India is hosting the SCO Film Festival for the first time. I hope that this will serve to strengthen ties between the Russian and Indian film industries, among filmmakers from other SCO countries.”