Mosfilm chief ankles

News throws Russian film world into shock

By TOM BIRCHENOUGH

MOSCOW -- Russia's film world was in shock last week as news emerged Friday that Vladimir Dostal, the head of leading Russian studio Mosfilm, had resigned his post. Studio's plans for privatization, which only two weeks ago Dostal had said were going ahead, have immediately been thrown into uncertainty.

According to local reports Dostal, who since 1987 had doubled as Mosfilm general director and board chairman, tendered his resignation a week ago and turned down board requests at a meeting April 8 to reconsider his decision.

Dostal was unavailable for comment on claims that he had left the studio to take up a post at entertainment conglomerate Most Media, which had been among the candidates for Mosfilm's privatization partner.

Dostal's successor, elected by the studio's board from a shortlist of two candidates, was announced as director Karen Shakhnazarov, 45, who has worked at Mosfilm for 25 years, most recently as head of its Kourier sub studio. The arthouse arm's latest pic, "Day of the Full Moon," is among candidates for this year's Cannes fest program.

Dostal's departure is bound to affect the studio's future course. Dostal had developed Mosfilm's privatization in partnership with the Moscow city government, against a number of other candidates -- including Most Media, headed by banker Vladimir Gusinsky -- and had lodged necessary documents to start the process.

His plans, which envisaged studio stock divided between employees and the partner, whose investment would go to restoring studio facilities, had been opposed by various parties, including major Russian TV companies. Dostal told Daily Variety at the end of March that problems with studio's status as legal inheritor for pre 1990 archives had been resolved, and he predicted that privatization would go ahead by the end of May.