Indian movie makers are going to evaluate Russian media market potential

New Delhi : Moscow International Film Week will be held in the Russian capital city on August 23-28. The event will transform Russia’s capital into a vast cinematic hub with participation from over 40 countries, including distinguished delegations from India, China, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Thailand, and CIS countries; the festival promises to be a major event for the international community.

It notes that the film market will bring together representatives of the film industry from India, China, Indonesia, Brazil and Russia. Among the delegates are top government officials – Shri. Sudhir S Mungantiwar, Minister of Cultural Department of the Maharashtra Government, Vikas Kharage, Principal Secretary of the Chief Minister Office and Cultural Department, Shri Dil Raju, President of Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce; and also the leaders of the film and media industry – Sandeep Marwah, Founder of Noida Film City, Shruti Rajkumar, Vice President Invest India and the Head of FFO (India), Rajiv Chilaka, CEO of Greengold Studios, Ankur Bhasin, CEO of Media & Entertainment Association of India, Rathan Sam George, Global Head of Production at Toonz Media, Marijke de Souza, Head of production, Dharma Productions, Gayatri Gulati, Senior Vice President, Viacom18 Studios.

Earlier, in April this year, during the visit, a delegation from Moscow familiarized itself with the Bollywood film industry in Mumbai. They agreed to strengthen ties in the field of joint film production. The current visit and the participation of the Indian delegation in the festival demonstrates the beginning of closer cooperation and the transition to action in this area.

According to the Russian Cinema Fund, the aggregate volume of investment in film production in Russia has increased more than 5 times in recent years, while the average cost of content production has increased slightly over 76%. At the same time the volume of production has also increased – around 4 national films are released weekly in the country’s cinemas, and 4 TV-shows are released weekly on platforms.

Also, in September 2023 the Moscow Film Platform was launched, an online service that not only allows filming requests to be made, but also, for example, to rent the necessary props and equipment. As a result, it now takes a few days to coordinate filming and up to two weeks instead of a month in the case of requests for filming in locations of federal significance. Many films have already been shot using the platform, demonstrating the city’s appeal as a filming location. A notable example is the film “Greatest of All Time” by Indian director Venkat Prabhu, which utilised Moscow’s unique settings to enhance its narrative.

The Cinema market in India is projected to grow by 5.50% (2024-2029) resulting in a market volume of US$6.05bn in 2029. Both sides are seeing much of the potential to explore in this regard.

In addition to Indian films, the Moscow International Film week will feature over 300 screenings, showcasing Russian and more than 70 international films.

“Moscow is actively developing ties with Indian colleagues in the field of film industry. Moscow International Film Week will acquaint Russians with the latest Indian films and contribute to the creation of joint projects between Moscow and India, as a large business program is planned and the Indian delegation is one of the largest. We consider India to be one of our key partners and see great potential in the further development of joint initiatives,” said Alexey Fursin, Minister of the Moscow Government and Head of the Department of Culture of the City of Moscow.