Meeting with Mosfilm Director General Karen Shakhnazarov 2024-11-13 14:05:00 The Kremlin, Moscow Mosfilm Director General and Chair of its Executive Board updated the President on the effort to develop and upgrade Russia’s largest film studio. President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, Mr Shakhnazarov. Mosfilm Director General Karen Shakhnazarov: Good afternoon. Vladimir Putin: Go ahead, please. Karen Shakhnazarov: I would like to report on the Mosfilm project in Moscow. You may recall that you approved this project back in 2013, followed by a Government directive to this effect. It is not that we did it on purpose, but its completion coincided with Mosfilm’s 100th anniversary – this is when we opened the buildings as part of the final construction stage. I am referring to the Cinema Centre, a state-of-the-art building with four screening rooms. Located along Mosfilmovskaya Street, it has already opened its doors and has become quite popular. There is also the 17th pavilion – the biggest facility of this kind in Russia, equipped with cutting-edge technology. Vladimir Putin: Does this make Mosfilm the biggest film studio in Europe, and the world too? Karen Shakhnazarov: It is the biggest film studio in Europe, that much is certain, even if we are still behind Warner and Universal. That said, there are five studios of this kind in Hollywood, while we have only one. However, in terms of scale and volume – and I have visited both Universal and Warner – we are just as effective, and even outperform them in certain ways. Before that, we completed the Costume and Accessory Building. Vladimir Putin: I am sorry, but are you sure that this is Europe’s biggest studio? Karen Shakhnazarov: It is. And it is probably the best equipped one too at this point. We succeeded in carrying out substantial upgrades, and having put this project behind us, we can say that this is a whole new studio now. Vladimir Putin: Very good. Karen Shakhnazarov: Of course, it meets all the latest requirements and checks all the boxes. Overall, I believe that this project was quite a success. I must say that we would never have succeeded without Andrei Belousov. You tasked him with overseeing this project, and he invested a lot of energy into it. Without this support, this would never have happened. He has done a great deal for the project to materialise. We wanted to do this at Mosfilm for a long time. Just look at this pavilion. Vladimir Putin: It is huge. What is your annual output? You can make 80 films? Karen Shakhnazarov: We have about 80 projects. This is the most advanced pavilion. Other countries may build something similar, but they cannot do this every year. A pavilion is designed to last 50 or 60 years. The 16th pavilion was also built as part of this project. Vladimir Putin: Also huge. Karen Shakhnazarov: The Costume and Accessory Building is second to none in terms of its equipment. I have travelled across the United States and Italy, but have never seen anything like this. The company that built it, Altera Park, delivered on all its commitments and complied with the highest standards. This is a major asset, of course. I would like to briefly update you on our economic performance. I will not bore you with all the figures I have, but let me explain what has been going on over the past few years. In 2021, Mosfilm’s net profit was 272 million, and we paid 500 million in taxes. The figures for 2022 were 547 million and 555 million, respectively, while the net profit in 2023 reached 582 million, and we had to pay 599 million in taxes. In the first nine months of 2024, our net profit stood at 485 million, while we paid 558 million in taxes, including remitted earnings, and lease payments. The average salary is currently 149,646 rubles. This year, we contributed 8 million to charity, including 6 million for the special military operation. By the way, in 2023, we handed over 28 T-55 tanks, 8 PT-76 tanks, 6 infantry fighting vehicles and 8 trucks we had in our military department to the Armed Forces. I knew that they needed them, so I got in touch with the Defence Ministry, and they took these vehicles. This ends my brief performance report. Vladimir Putin: Mosfilm is our pride. Karen Shakhnazarov: Thank you. <…>