03.02.09

Russia's largest filming studio Mosfilm has not produced a single movie over the past three months, film director Karen Shakhnazarov, who is also Mosfilm's Director General, told a news conference Thursday.

"We're evidencing a dying down of all the breakthrough motivations that the Russian movie industry has cherished over the past few years," Shakhnazarov said. "Nothing is being filmed at all, and not only at Mosfilm."

Still, the studio feels quite confident about its future, he indicated.

"We live now thanks to our diversified activities, including the operations of our montage and post dubbing laboratories," Shakhnazarov said. "Also, many movies are in the so-called post-production phase."

"The problem is I'm fully aware of the fact that if nothing is filmed today, there won't be any post-productions tomorrow," he said.

Shakhnazarov also admitted that unemployment has crept into the movie industry.

"It can be seen in many filming associations, and the sad thing is really good specialists don't have any work," he said.

"Prices for what they do have started sliding and the same concern actors' royalties," Shakhnazarov said.

He indicated, however, that it is yet to be seen how the situation will develop in the next three to four months. Only after that decisions on some or other measures are to be taken.

Shakhnazarov said without a doubt that the global financial crisis has had a deplorable impact on the Russian filming studios, too.

He also spoke in favor of developing a system of government support for the industry.

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Source: Itar-Tass