Lenfilm studio to build “Russian Hollywood”

State-run St Petersburg-based studio Lenfilm is set to build a 4 billion ruble (US$60 million) studio and entertainment complex, dubbed “Russian Hollywood”.

The studio has signed a contract with local company VTB Development to complete the project, which will encompass hotels, restaurants, conference centres and entertainment venues, as well as studio facilities, which will be open to the public similar to Hollywood studios.

According to a statement by Lenfilm’s general director, Eduard Pichugin, the new complex will serve both as a tourist attraction for Moscow and as a way to promote Russian cinema and strengthen foreign filmmakers’ interest in shooting in Russia.

Lenfilm has secured a 93,000 square metre plot on the outskirts of Moscow for the project, an area twice as large as what had previously been anticipated when it announced expansion plans last year.

The completion of Lenfilm’s “Russian Hollywood” complex is expected to take three to four years. In a state of disrepair for many years, the studio has seen a period of rejuvenation following the appointment of director and producer Fyodor Bondarchuk as chairman in late 2012.

Source: Hollywood Reporter