Moscow downsizes

Film fest bows big slate, small budget

By TOM BIRCHENOUGH

MOSCOW -- Russia's 21st Moscow Film Fest will unspool July 19-29 in a slimmer format. Alexander Golutva, head of government funding body Goskino, said at a press conference on July 7 that state coin for fest had been confirmed. Its total budget of 62 million rubles ($2.5 million), however, is well down on previous years.

Fest prexy is high-profile Russian helmer Nikita Mikhalkov.

Competition slate of 16 pics is larger than originally planned and covers a wider geographical range than in previous years, illustrating the fruit of the programmers visits to Asia and Latin America.

Asia pics showcased

Eastern pics include Gil Porter's "The Kite" (Philippines), veteran Japanese helmer Kaneto Shindo's "Will to Live," Viet Lihn's "The Building" (Vietnam) and Johnnie To's "Where the Good Man Goes" (Hong Kong), unspooling alongside Brazilian helmer Paolo Saraceni's "The Traveler."

A strong European slate showcases octogenarian Italian director Mario Monicelli's "Dirty Linen," Pascal Thomas' "La Dilettante" (France), Agust Gudmundsson's "The Dance" (Iceland), Antonio Mercero's "A Time for Defiance" (Spain), Peter Timar's "6:3" (Hungary), as well as debut pics from Finland's Olli Saarela ("Ambush") and Greece's Menelaos Karamaghiolis ("Black-Out").

First-timer Audrey Wells' "Guinevere" is the only Stateside entry, alongside Australian Peter Dunkun's "Passion." Local fare from Kazakh helmer Abai Karpykov, "Fara," and a last-minute Russian entry, Valdimir Khotinenko's "Strastnoi Boulevard," complete the slate.

Headed by Argentinean helmer Fernando Solanas, jury for fest will consist of Italian director Florestano Vanchini, Georgia's Lana Gogoberidze, Kirghiz Tolomush Okeev, Spain's Antonio Jimenez-Rico and local hero Valery Todorovsky, as well as American cameraman Adam Greenberg and Iranian critic Shala Nakhid.

Guest list glitters, given the fest's modest budget. Included are thesps Michael York and Pierre Richard, both of whom are feted by retrospectives, as well as Vanessa Redgrave, Alain Delon, Marco Bellocchio, Alec Baldwin and Klaus-Maria Brandauer.

Though traditional roundup to fest will be a showcase of films from the former-USSR, two of the most talked-about Russian films -- Alexei German's "Khrustalyev, My Car" and Alexander Sokurov's "Moloch" -- won't be on view after helmers apparently refused invites from Moscow programmers.