Russian film investment
Russian film investment
Aug 16, 2005
MOSCOW -- Roland Joffe's upcoming psychological thriller "Captivity" may be entirely set in New York, but the $12 million movie is currently shooting at studios in Moscow.
But the film's delocalization does not necessarily mean that Russia is set to become a new haven for runaway production. Rather, it is the first example of a locally financed Hollywood co-production, signaling a new era in Russian-U.S. movie industry collaboration.
"Captivity" stars Elisha Cuthbert as a fashion model taken prisoner by a serial killer and incarcerated in a dank cellar along with a chauffeur played by Daniel Gillies.
The movie -- filming on a soundstage at Moscow's Mosfilm studios -- is co-produced by Russia's Russian American Movie Company (RAMCO) and veteran Hollywood independent producer Mark Damon, and is funded by a group of private investors headed by Valery Chumak, a Siberian industrialist and film fan. The film is slated for release late next year, with U.S. distribution still open.
The film -- typical Hollywood fare, albeit with the intellectual gravitas afforded by a director of Joffe's caliber -- is one of a slate of mid-budget movies Damon, RAMCO president Leonid Minkovski and director Sergey Konov plan to make in Moscow.
They have simple reasons for working together: The Russians want to gain access to the wider international audience Hollywood-style movies can reach, and Damon wants access to money to make his movies.
"I'm here for the money!" Damon quips during a lunch-time meeting with Minkovski and Konov at their studio offices.
"The Russians offered to fund the entire below-the-line budget, and their offer interested me because I have always tried to break new ground. I like to go where the money is, and I believe that others in Hollywood will take note and also look at Russia," Damon says.
Minkovski and Konov -- both fluent in English and who worked together for nearly 20 years on various business ventures ranging from pharmaceuticals to soft drinks -- set up RAMCO three years ago. They saw an opportunity to attract investors willing to accept the risk -- and potential rewards -- of making movies.
"There's an excellent climate in Russia right now for private investment. There are a lot of rich people who have made their money in oil, metals, minerals, and who want to find new areas in which to invest," Konov says.
RAMCO's first U.S.-style production, "Silent Partner," directed by James Deck and starring Tara Reid and Nick Moran, shot at Mosfilm last year. That experience led the partners to seek out a Hollywood co-producer with the know-how and contacts essential to attract a big-name director and top talent.
"Captivity" may be Russia's first Hollywood co-production, but breaking into the international, English-language movie market is already a well-established trend.
Moscow-based ROSPOFilm's new action movie "Men's Season. Velvet Revolution" is a $5 million production shot on location in the Czech Republic, Ukraine, the Dominican Republic and Nevada, among other places.
The Russian-language film, directed by Oleg Stepchenko, is due for its world premiere at Los Angeles' Arclight Theater on Wednesday, which the producers hope will spur interest from potential U.S. distributors.
Moscow's Central Partnership, an independent production house, has a $50 million slate of film and TV projects in production, some aimed at an international audience.
The success of action movie "Shadow Boxing" -- starring U.S. actor John Amos as a boxing promoter, and which took in more than $7 million at the domestic boxoffice within its first month of release earlier this year -- has prompted the company to include an international focus in its strategy.
"There's a growing opinion here that films should be shot in English. ... The planned sequel to 'Boxer' may be shot in Russian and English versions," says Central director Ruben Dishdishyan.
Russia's most famous recent export -- the English-dubbed version of "Night Watch," a fantasy horror film set in Moscow that took in more than $16 million last year -- is due to hit international screens this fall.
Picked up by 20th Century Fox in a distribution, sequel and remake deal within days of its release in July last year, "Night Watch," directed by Timur Bekmambetov and produced by leading national TV company the First Channel, may put Russian-U.S. movie cooperation firmly on the industry's international map, possibly paving the way for a new wave of joint projects.
But the film's delocalization does not necessarily mean that Russia is set to become a new haven for runaway production. Rather, it is the first example of a locally financed Hollywood co-production, signaling a new era in Russian-U.S. movie industry collaboration.
"Captivity" stars Elisha Cuthbert as a fashion model taken prisoner by a serial killer and incarcerated in a dank cellar along with a chauffeur played by Daniel Gillies.
The movie -- filming on a soundstage at Moscow's Mosfilm studios -- is co-produced by Russia's Russian American Movie Company (RAMCO) and veteran Hollywood independent producer Mark Damon, and is funded by a group of private investors headed by Valery Chumak, a Siberian industrialist and film fan. The film is slated for release late next year, with U.S. distribution still open.
The film -- typical Hollywood fare, albeit with the intellectual gravitas afforded by a director of Joffe's caliber -- is one of a slate of mid-budget movies Damon, RAMCO president Leonid Minkovski and director Sergey Konov plan to make in Moscow.
They have simple reasons for working together: The Russians want to gain access to the wider international audience Hollywood-style movies can reach, and Damon wants access to money to make his movies.
"I'm here for the money!" Damon quips during a lunch-time meeting with Minkovski and Konov at their studio offices.
"The Russians offered to fund the entire below-the-line budget, and their offer interested me because I have always tried to break new ground. I like to go where the money is, and I believe that others in Hollywood will take note and also look at Russia," Damon says.
Minkovski and Konov -- both fluent in English and who worked together for nearly 20 years on various business ventures ranging from pharmaceuticals to soft drinks -- set up RAMCO three years ago. They saw an opportunity to attract investors willing to accept the risk -- and potential rewards -- of making movies.
"There's an excellent climate in Russia right now for private investment. There are a lot of rich people who have made their money in oil, metals, minerals, and who want to find new areas in which to invest," Konov says.
RAMCO's first U.S.-style production, "Silent Partner," directed by James Deck and starring Tara Reid and Nick Moran, shot at Mosfilm last year. That experience led the partners to seek out a Hollywood co-producer with the know-how and contacts essential to attract a big-name director and top talent.
"Captivity" may be Russia's first Hollywood co-production, but breaking into the international, English-language movie market is already a well-established trend.
Moscow-based ROSPOFilm's new action movie "Men's Season. Velvet Revolution" is a $5 million production shot on location in the Czech Republic, Ukraine, the Dominican Republic and Nevada, among other places.
The Russian-language film, directed by Oleg Stepchenko, is due for its world premiere at Los Angeles' Arclight Theater on Wednesday, which the producers hope will spur interest from potential U.S. distributors.
Moscow's Central Partnership, an independent production house, has a $50 million slate of film and TV projects in production, some aimed at an international audience.
The success of action movie "Shadow Boxing" -- starring U.S. actor John Amos as a boxing promoter, and which took in more than $7 million at the domestic boxoffice within its first month of release earlier this year -- has prompted the company to include an international focus in its strategy.
"There's a growing opinion here that films should be shot in English. ... The planned sequel to 'Boxer' may be shot in Russian and English versions," says Central director Ruben Dishdishyan.
Russia's most famous recent export -- the English-dubbed version of "Night Watch," a fantasy horror film set in Moscow that took in more than $16 million last year -- is due to hit international screens this fall.
Picked up by 20th Century Fox in a distribution, sequel and remake deal within days of its release in July last year, "Night Watch," directed by Timur Bekmambetov and produced by leading national TV company the First Channel, may put Russian-U.S. movie cooperation firmly on the industry's international map, possibly paving the way for a new wave of joint projects.
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