New government scheme to bring films to small Russian towns

The Russian government is set to allocate subsidies for the screening of domestic films in sparsely populated parts of the country.

According to a resolution approved by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and published on the government’s website, the residents of settlements with small populations are “deprived of the opportunity to watch new films in high quality using modern technology”. In order to solve this problem, as well as to increase the proportion of Russian films playing, the government will allocate funds for local film distributors to purchase high-tech film equipment. Towns with a population up to 100,000 people will be eligible for the state support.

This development is the latest in a series of attempts to bolster the success of domestic films at the box office. Earlier this year, Russia’s largest cinema chains signed an agreement, also signed by Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky, to introduce a minimum quota on Russian-made films.

Source: Afisha (in Russian)