Events

ROUND TABLES

"Club of European Producers"

"The 90s and 00s: the language of cinema and the cinematic process"
Moderation: the chairman of the Guild of Film Critics and Film Scholars, Victor Matizen.

Pitching

"Results of the cinematic season: applause premature?"
Moderation: sociologist and researcher Daniil Dondurei.

"Film festivals and film business"
Moderation: FIPRESCI president Andrei Plakhov.

"Russian cinema: traditions, avant-garde, commercialization. Past, present, future"
Moderation: FIPRESCI president Andrei Plakhov.

The rapid development of the Russian film market over the last year has drawn the attention of more and more serious foreign "players". Russian cinema has gradually become a noticeable phenomenon in European distribution. The Hollywood majors reflect on opening their branches in the post-Soviet territories, and European producers, at last, begin to consider Russia not as country for exotic tourism but as a country with rich commercial potential. In connection with these changed circumstances one of the most interesting and strategically important events at the 17th "Kinotavr" is the seminar of the "Club of European Producers" (6-7 June). The two-day program is quite dense: reports by Russian participants, discussions of problems and opportunities for co-production, and personal meetings with Russian directors are planned. There It is hoped that new striking film that will emerge as a result of the fruitful cooperation at this seminar will be seen in the competition programme at the next "Kinotavr".

The 17th "Kinotavr" will also continue the traditional professional round tables and discussions devoted to the most topical problems of contemporary Russian cinema. The following themes are suggested for discussions:

• "The 90s and 00s: the language of cinema and the cinematic process" (8 June). This meeting will sum up the new programme of the film festival, "The 1990s: The Cinema that we have Lost" (programme curated by the film scholar Larisa Maliukova). Moderation: the chairman of the Guild of Film Critics and Film Scholars, Victor Matizen.
• "Results of the cinematic season: applause premature?" (10 June). Participants of the round table: producers Alexander Rodnyansky, Igor Tolstunov, Konstantin Ernst, Valeri Todorovsky, Sergei Selianov, Elena Yatsura, Vladimir Dostal; directors Alexei Uchitel and Fiodor Bondarchuk, as well as other major Russian cinematographers. Moderation: sociologist and researcher Daniil Dondurei.
• Round table on the topic "Film festivals and film business" (10 June), which promises to become one of the most significant events of the festival. Without the commercial component no serious festival can manage, and "Kinotavr" is no exception. Confirmed participants include: Jerome Paillard, director of the Cannes film market (Marche du Film); Martina Bleis, representative of the Berlinale Co-Production Market; Ellis Driessen, head of the Holland Film Meeting, one of the largest international project markets in Europe; Mira Staleva, director of the international pitching at the Sofia IFF; Stefan Laudyn, director of the Warsaw IFF and director of the film-market CentEast; Pascale Ramonda, head of the festival department of the film company Celluloid Dreams.
• The main session will be preceded by a new event for our festival: "pitching" (9 June) At this meeting young cinematographers will present their ideas and synopses of their future films to the attention of leading producers of Russian cinema. The most convincing and potentially interesting project will receive a monetary prize, and if producers will be interested in the realization of the submitted projects, they also receive the opportunity to see their idea embodied on screen.

The traditional meeting of members of FIPRESCI will also take place at the festival (11 June). This year the theme of the conversation will be "Russian cinema: traditions, avant-garde, commercialization. Past, present, future". The meeting will be moderated by FIPRESCI president Andrei Plakhov.