CentEast Warsaw - Moscow First Project in Russia Supported by EU’s MEDIA International

19-10-2009

CentEast Warsaw - Moscow First Project in Russia Supported by EU’s MEDIA International

By Anna Franklin in Moscow

CentEast Moscow (www.centeast.org) organized by Russian distrib TVINDIE has attracted worldwide attention as the first project in Russia to be supported by the EU's MEDIA International.

The one-day event was linked to CentEast Warsaw and was the brainchild of Warsaw FF's Stefan Laudyn and TVINDIE's CEO Yeveny Gindilis. The project was also backed by the Russian Ministry of Culture.

The one day event (18 October) attracted over 150 participants including buyers, distributors and producers who came from all over Europe to meet with their Russian counterparts and watch a carefully selected programme of trailers and works in progress of upcoming Russian and Central European film projects.

"This is about finding ways to distribute Russian films in Europe and open the Russian market to central European film," said Gindilis, "CentEast is a very important event as it brings Russia and Russian film into the European scene. This is one of the first projects in Russia to work together with European Union structures and we want to see the further integration of Russian film into European film cultural structures."

CentEast Moscow attracted top Russian names to the newly rebuilt Pioneer Cinema in central Moscow where the event took place. Attendees included Alexander Golutva responsible for cinema at the Russian Ministry of Culture and top Russian producers such as Elena Yatsoura and Dmitry Rudolfsky. Foreign guests included Unifrance's Joel Chapron and Wide Managements's Clementine Hugot.

One of the most popular presentations was the Polish feature All That I Love directed by Jacek Borcuch and produced by Warsaw based Prasa Film. (www.prasaifilm.pl) Prasa helmer Jan Dworak who was in Moscow for the event said there had been a lot of interest in the film which was fresh from its screening at Pusan FF and is due for its Warsaw premier on 15 January of next year. The film will be release by ITI (www.iticinema.com.pl) in 110 prints.

Another film that saw a lot of interest was the Art Pictures horror thriller Phobos directed by Oleg Asadulin and presented by Rudolfsky. Tribecca is said to already interested in the film which will be released in Russia on 4 February 2010 with 300 prints.

The following 17 projects were presented:

1. 6 OBJECTS OF DESIRE / B.L.C 6 BUNURI DE LARG CONSUM, dir. Ana Vlad and Adrian Voicu, Romania

2. ALL THAT I LOVE / WSZYSTKO CO KOCHAM, dir. Jacek Borcuch, Poland

3. APRICOT ISLAND, THE / MARHULOVY OSTROV, dir. Peter Bebjak, Slovak Republic

4. CADENCES / KADENTSII, dir. Ivan Saveliev, Russia

5. CHRISTENING, THE / CHRZEST, dir. Marcin Wrona, Poland

6. GRAPES 2 / 2 BOBULE, dir. Vlad Lanne, Czech Republic

7. HOUSE OF THE SUN / DOM SOLNTSA, dir. Garik Sukachyov, Russia/Ukraine

8. MAGIC TREE, THE / MAGICZNE DRZEWO, dir. Andrzej Maleszka, Poland

9. MARZI, dir. Izabela Plucińska, Poland/Germany

10. MOTHER THERESA OF CATS / MATKA TERESA OD KOTÓW, dir. Paweł Sala, Poland

11. MOSCOW, I DON'T LOVE YOU / MOSKVA, YA NE LUBLU TEBYA, dir. Michael Mestetsky, Roman Kantor, Petr Fedorov, Michael Mareskin, Russia