The President arrived at the film studio with director Andrei Zvyagintsev, whose film The Return won this year’s top prize at the Venice International Film Festival. They came from the President’s country residence Novo-Ogaryovo where Mr Putin had invited the director to congratulate him on his success.
During the talk with the film makers, film production, financial and distributional problems of the Russian film industry and the battle against piracy were the main subjects discussed.
The President thinks more Russian films should be made. It is hard to compete with the foreign film industries unless there is mass production, he said.
Mr Putin agreed with the suggestion made during the meeting that the Culture Ministry should think about measures to protect the development of the Russian film industry, but he stressed that it should not be done at the expense of the audience. The President spoke out against the introduction of quotas on Russian films in the film distribution market at this stage.
The participants in the meeting also raised the issue of government support for the film industry, especially such projects as the shooting of films devoted to the 60th anniversary of victory in World War Two, and urged Mr Putin to pay particular attention to the protection of intellectual property.
During his visit to Mosfilm, the President looked at the sound stages, production facilities, sets and editing rooms where films were dubbed. The head of state was shown an excerpt from a French film about extreme sports, while the sound director explained the modern methods of editing the sound track.
Mosfilm is one of the largest film studios in the world possessing hi-tech production facilities that are the best in Europe. It produces almost all films, television shows and video products in Russia.