Over Two Thousand Guests Attend the Business Program of theMoscow International Film Week !
Over Two Thousand Guests Attend the Business Program of the
Moscow International Film Week
Chennai, Sep. 2024
More than 2,000 guests attended 30 events of the business program of the Moscow
International Film Week, held on August 26-27. Among them were 130 international film
industry experts, screenwriters, producers, and representatives of major film clusters.
Over the two days of the business program, more than two thousand guests visited its
venue, including representatives of the Russian film industry, foreign experts, students from
specialized universities, and employees of leading media companies. The program featured
30 events with 130 international speakers.
The geographic scope of the participating countries in the business program is extensive:
India, China, Brazil, Egypt, UAE, Turkey, Panama, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, South Africa,
Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Thailand, Cameroon, South Korea – more than 40 nations sent their
representatives to strengthen cooperation with Russian players in the global film industry.
The program opened with a plenary session attended by representatives from 11 ministries
of creative economy and culture. Among the speakers were Alexey Fursin, Minister of the
Moscow Government and head of the Department of Culture of Moscow, Arianne Benedetti,
Deputy Minister of Culture of Panama, Avazhan Tajikhanov, First Deputy Minister of Culture
of Uzbekistan, Yevgeny Kochetov, Vice Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic
of Kazakhstan, and Peace Mabe, Deputy Minister of Sport, Culture, and Arts of South Africa.
Following the plenary session, participants agreed to continue developing cooperation
between national creative economies and mutually support the promotion of local content in
foreign markets.
The main themes of the business program were global markets, film production,
screenwriting, promotion, and education.
Global Markets
The two-day business program of the Moscow International Film Week (MIFW) included a
large block of country sessions where delegates from India, China, Turkey, and the Middle
East shared insights about their national cinema and experiences in promoting it on the
global market. Directors and producers from major content production companies in Turkey,
including Fatih Aksoy, Ates Ince, and Kerem Catay, discussed the phenomenon of Turkish
films and TV series, strategies for their promotion, and their adaptation for the global arena
during the “Turkey. Knock on Someone Else’s Door” discussion.
The phenomenon of the Chinese industry, which quickly became a key global player, was
discussed in the country-study “China: The Cinematic Miracle of the Middle Kingdom.”
Chinese director Zhou Wei and representatives of Chinese production companies
emphasized that foreign companies need to consider the national specifics of the Chinese
market when establishing communications and noted that successful project implementation
in China is impossible without well-established partnerships.
The Middle Eastern market was discussed by top management from leading film companies
in the region: Bilal Dayani, CEO of Eagle Films (UAE), Tunisian producer Habib Attia, and
Zainab Abu Al-Samh, General Manager of MBC Studios, MBC Talent & Academy in Saudi
Arabia. Speakers noted that one of the main content trends in the region is the growing
demand for animation and discussed potential cooperation strategies between the Middle
East and Russia in film production.
India was the country in focus at the first MIFW. Discussions such as “India: The Perfect Mix
of Dance and Action” and “Hollywood. Bollywood. Tollywood: The Home of RRR and Hidden
Gems of the Global Film Industry” featured heads of major film companies, top managers,
and producers from Bollywood and Tollywood. Experts highlighted that new formats in Indian
cinema emerge from observing innovations and preserving cultural heritage, enabling
Bollywood and Tollywood to succeed globally. They also stressed that Russia has the
potential to become an attractive location for filming and distributing Indian cinema – initial
steps in this direction have already been taken.
Film Production
Participants of the panel discussion “The Experience of Film Commissions: How to Attract
Filming to Your Region” discussed ways to attract audiovisual content producers to their
regions. Speakers included Nabil Abu Samra, Head of Production in the UAE, Ahmed
Samba, CEO of the Egyptian Film Commission, Guillermo Saldana Puente, Head of the
Mexican Film Commission, and Shruti Rajkumar, Head of the Indian Film Commission. They
reviewed successful cases of attracting foreign film producers to different regions, identified
key trends in this area, and discussed the most effective practices, with the most important
being ensuring a simple and transparent communication process for all parties involved.
Another key focus of the business program was roundtable discussions on animated content
– its creation, monetization, co-production, and finding new paths for cooperation in this
area. During the panel discussion “The Path to Success: How to Bring a Local Animation
Brand to the Global Market,” representatives from Russian and foreign animation studios
shared their experiences in promoting and launching products on the global market, as well
as the opportunities and challenges of this process. Speakers included Mahmoud Hemeda,
CEO of the Egyptian studio Samaka, Ankur Bhasin, CEO of Bhasin Studios and Encore
Films from India, and representatives from animation content producers in Saudi Arabia and
China.
The discussion “More Than Content: How to Effectively Monetize Animation IP” focused on
the monetization of animated films. Representatives from major international animation
studios in China, South Korea, and India shared their cases of the most effective IPs and
discussed best practices for content licensing, franchise creation, amusement parks, and
merchandise. Participants also explored possible strategies for studios looking to monetize
content in the current environment. The roundtable “Co-Production in Animation” addressed
international cooperation among animation studios and promising directions for
collaborations between foreign companies and Russian partners. Experts included Rathan
Sam George, President of the major Indian studio Toonz, Steve Cho, Senior Vice President
of the South Korean studio Sunwoo, and representatives of Russian companies – Yulia
Nikolaeva, General Producer of “Riki,” and Vladimir Nikolaev, General Producer of the
“Voronezh” studio.
Screenwriting
A significant portion of the MIFW business program was dedicated to screenwriting.
One of the key experts was American screenwriter David Marconi, known for films
such as “The Foreigner” and “Die Hard 4.0.” In the session “Global Storytelling vs.
Local,” Marconi, along with Turkish producer Fatih Aksoy from Medyapim, Russian
screenwriter and director Andrey Zolotarev, Mexican screenwriter Santiago Limon,
Cameroonian producer and director Peter Jokfu Nkevir from Blue Film Community,
and film critic and editor-in-chief of “Smotrim Kino” magazine Alan, discussed the
differences between writing scripts for local and global markets and the importance
of preserving filmmakers’ cultural identity when producing content for a global
audience. In a closed workshop for students of relevant fields and participants of the
“Author” program, Marconi shared techniques for creating engaging stories and
revealed secrets from his own experience in screenwriting in the global industry.
The main speakers of the discussion “Writing the Dream Script and Capturing the
World” were Turkish screenwriter Ayse Kutlu, known for her work on the series
“Knock on My Door” and “Early Bird,” and Russian screenwriter and director Andrey
Zolotarev (“The Word of a Pledge,” “Trigger”). They discussed how to avoid
stereotypes and clichés when creating stories for an international audience,
emphasizing that breaking free from templates is the key to successfully
representing a country’s culture abroad.
Promotion and Education
During the panel discussion “Festival Fever: The Pulse of Contemporary Cinema,”
producer Dora Bouchoucha (Tunisia), producer Rula Nasser (Jordan), International
Affairs Director of the Iranian Youth Cinema Society Davood Adeli, CEO of the
Agency for Creative Industries Gulnara Agamova, Executive Director of the Minsk
International Festival “Listapad” Olesya Rulkova, CEO of Red Carpet Studio Anton
Kalinkin, and film director and screenwriter Alexey Uchitel emphasized that festivals
are currently one of the main channels for promoting content on the international
market, requiring investments.
Representatives of leading Russian and global film schools, including producer,
screenwriter, and co-founder of the “Vodorod” company Mikhail Vrubel, Creative
Director of the KION online cinema Ilya Burets, and CEO of the International
Business Department at Hengdian World Studios Carolina Guo (China), shared
insights on industry personnel training during the panel discussion “Behind-the-
Scenes Talent: Strategies for Creating, Attracting, and Retaining Talent in Film.” The
rapid growth of film production has led to a shortage of industry professionals, and
modern specialists must support young people in choosing film professions through
educational initiatives such as labs, festivals, and pitch sessions.
During the business program, closed pitch sessions were held for representatives of
the international film industry – production companies and independent investors. Six
Russian projects were presented to foreign guests.
The Moscow International Film Week will continue until August 28. Muscovites and
guests of the capital are invited to attend master classes, lectures, and film
screenings. Detailed information about the event is available on the official website.
The Moscow International Film Week is organized by the Moscow Department of
Culture and the Agency for Creative Industries and is part of the Mayor of Moscow’s
project “Moscow – the City of Cinema.” The film venues will showcase over 70
foreign films, featuring films from more than 20 countries. A total of about 300 film
screenings are planned as part of the event. The Moscow International Film Week
(MIFW) will be held as part of the forum-festival “Territory of the Future. Moscow
2030.”
General Partners of the Moscow International Film Week
● Gazprom-Media Holding: The largest media holding in Russia, contributing
to the formation of the national media industry for over 25 years. Gazprom-
Media develops digital platforms such as the PREMIER online cinema, the
national video hosting RUTUBE, and the short vertical video app YAPPY. The
holding has its own digital lab, D.lab, which works on AI-based content
creation and processing, as well as tracking and analyzing technologies in the
media market. Gazprom-Media also implements a large-scale corporate
social responsibility program, PRO, aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of
NGOs, promoting charity and volunteering, and developing youth in the media
field through the “PRONavigator” project.
● MTS Media: A media holding created in February 2024 that unites the
entertainment businesses of the MTS digital ecosystem. MTS Media manages
five businesses in online and offline environments, including the KION online
cinema, MTS Live ticket services, and MTS Music streaming service.
● National Media Group: The largest private media holding in Russia,
managing a diversified portfolio of assets in the production, distribution, and
monetization of high-quality information and entertainment content across all
consumption environments. Key assets include the leading Russian TV
channels REN TV, Channel Five, STS, Domashny, and Che, as well as the
multimedia information center “Izvestia.”
● Yandex: A technology company that creates innovative products and services
based on machine learning and neural networks. Yandex’s main business
areas include search and portal services, e-commerce, classifieds,
entertainment and financial services, online taxi and food delivery services,
and autonomous vehicles.
Moscow Film Cluster
The Moscow Film Cluster is a set of infrastructure facilities, services, and platforms
for domestic and international film producers, developed by the Moscow Government
as part of the Mayor’s project “Moscow – the City of Cinema.” The structure of the
Moscow Film Cluster includes six areas: the Moskino Film Park in New Moscow,
Moskino Cinemas, the METMASH Film Factory, the Gorky Film Studio, the Moscow
Film Commission, and the Moskino Film Platform.
Agency for Creative Industries
The Agency for Creative Industries (ACI) is an institution for the development of
creative industries in Moscow. Its main tasks include creating favorable conditions
for the development of representatives from film, fashion, design, contemporary art,
video games, music, publishing, and more, promoting their products in international
markets, and shaping a positive image of the capital as an international center of
creative industries.
Moscow Department of Culture
The Moscow Department of Culture is responsible for developing the city’s cultural
environment, creating opportunities for diverse leisure activities for Muscovites and
visitors, organizing children’s recreational activities, creative education, supporting
creative projects, and creating infrastructure for international-level film production.
The department oversees more than 330 subordinate organizations, with over
33,000 people working in the department and cultural institutions, attracting 190
million visitors to its events annually, and managing 148,000 educational, sports, and
creative clubs and sections in cultural centers and other organizations.