11/02/2012

Russia’s Roskino/SEF – the state promotion agency, formerly known as Sovexportfilm – will set up business in the USA. At the European Film Market the company announced yesterday (February 10) that the new Russian Film Commission will operate from an office in Los Angeles – on Beverly Hills, in Hollywood.

”Russia is becoming a vey strong market, with many global distributors choosing Russia to premiere their movies, and with a Film Commission on the ground in LA we expect to facilitate further conversations with both independent filmmakers and the studios going forward,” said Roskino/SEF CEO Catherine Msitouridze.

The new office headed by film executive Eleonora Granata and Russian Hollywood-based journalist Sergei Rakhlin, both reporting to Msitouridze.

The new office will be responsible for building relationships with American distributors while promoting Russia as a filming location and consummate partner for co-productions across America. It will initiate screening programmes, panel discussions, cultural exchanges, eventually a Russian Film Week, to present artistic and commercial achievements of Russian cinema.

”When Alexander Sokurov shows his Faust in Venice, at the same time as new talents appear in Russian film, we can certainly say that a new era has begun in our motion picture industry,” added Mikhail Shvydkoy, special presidential representative.

In its efforts to assist Russian filmmakers with commercial releases abroad, and support their integration into the international film community, Roskino/SEF promotes Russian cinema at key international festivals, markets and on the awards circuit. Original instigated as Sovkino in 1924, Sovexportfilm was modernised and rebranded to become Roskino/SEF earlier this year.