Karen Shakhnazarov and the Mosfilm Studios

’For the past four years Mosfilm is making money ­ after ten years of operating in the red,« says Karen Shakhnazarov, who was appointed general director of Mosfilm Studios in the spring of 1998 and recently received the personal congratulations and official confirmation in his office by President Vladimir Putin. Queried as to the reason for the quick turnabout, Shakhnazarov credits his decision to link the state-owned complex to the market economy without giving into pressures to privatize the studios. »Who knows which ruble billionaire might come along with a tempting offer to buy Mosfilm, and then everything would be up for grabs!«

        But he also pointed out that Mosfilm is profiting from the production boom in Russian television. This year, the 13 stages are booked nearly to capacity for 80 new productions ­ half of these are feature films, the other half are episodes in popular TV serials. Check out the Mosfilm homepage ­ www.mosfilm.ru ­ and you will find in English a full listing of two dozen independently operating »sub-studios« housed on the grounds, along with their projects currently in production. Indeed, it takes a quarter-hour to walk down »production row« ­ the beehive corridor in which independent studios maintain offices with computer links abroad.

        Other sources of income are found in Mosfilm’s technical services. The lab supplies Russian distributors of American and European film with prints. The archive is a treasure-trove of old movies that find their way to cinemas and television. Recently, the GoEast Festival of Central and Eastern European Films in Wiesbaden programmed for film historians a collection of Russian films from the 1920s and 1930s, most of these Mosfilm productions. Foreign and domestic companies book studio space to produce advertising spots. The Barcelona Opera rents its state-of-the-art sound stage for CD recordings of classical and popular music.

        Some 200 professionals are permanently employed by Mosfilm, their departments and facilities listed on the website. Sergei Simagin, head of foreign relations, is often on the road on behalf of the entire Mosfilm Cinema Concern. »What’s still missing,« says Shakhnazarov, »is that important link to American and European production companies.« He hinted that Mosfilm would go far out its way to accommodate a production that would make use all of its facilities from conception to shooting to postproduction. »We can always made room for a quality American or European production, either as a coproduction partner or on a services rendered basis.«

        An awarded film director himself, Karen Shakhnazarov admitted to a couple aces in the hole to keep Mosfilm in the black well into the future. He sent a »calling card« to the Karlovy Vary film festival: Nikolai Lebedyev’s The Star, the remake of a Alexander Ivanov’s 1949 classic war film about a behind enemy-lines combat unit that’s currently a commercial hit in Russia. »We want to show what we are capable of here at Mosfilm: special effects, wrap-around stereo, pyrotechnics, tank maneuvers, areal dog fights ­ you name it.« He pointed out that the Actors Club, a restaurant located before the gates on Mosfilmskaya ulitsa, is recognized as one of the best in the city. And he confirmed an open secret: Mosfilm owns two gambling casinos in the city. »Casinos can bring in more money than making movies,« he admitted. »That’s one of the ironies of today’s rapidly expanding Russian economy.«

Ronald Holloway

Contact address:
Mosfilm Movie Concern, 1 Mosfilmovskaya Street, 119 992 Moscow, Russia. Tel: +7(095) 143-9100, 143-9336. Fax: +7(095) 938-2083.