Russian Fest turns 40
Kinotavr overcomes financial questions for 10th run
Organizers, headed by fest founder and chief producer Mark Rudinshtein, said they are on a stronger financial footing than ever before, despite the recession that has hit Russia after its August financial crisis.
"I am confident that funding questions are fixed for this year and that we will avoid the financial problems of the last two years," Rudinshtein announced Wednesday in Moscow. In past years last-minute funding delays -- the fest budget comes in at approximately $2 million -- had seen him held up in Moscow until after the fest's opening, waiting for state funding to come through.
Feting itself under the new slogan "Revival of Cinema," the fest administration said it would be making further far-reaching announcements in a month's time about Kinotavr expanding its role from festival to other related fields.
Last year, Rudinshtein, 53, announced the 1999 jubilee fest would be his last in his current role, after which he would return to production and distribution. Kinotavr is beginning development of one Moscow multiplex site and soon may well be in a position to increase the scale of its activities.
The programming for this year's fest looks more organized than in the past, and despite a slowdown in local production, Kinotavr is able to choose pics from the national production total for its main competition program, made up of 12-15 films, according to Irina Rubanova, who leads the event's selection committee.
The fest's second domestic competition for first-time directors seeks to reproduce last year's debut success.
