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Alexander Sokurov's victory in Venice and situation in russian cinematography

Newspapers comment on the awarding to the “Faust” film by the famous Russian director Alexander Sokurov

MOSCOW, September 13 (Itar-Tass) — Newspapers comment on the awarding to the “Faust” film by the famous Russian director Alexander Sokurov of the main prize of the Venice International Film Festival – The Golden Lion and reason how is can affect the situation in the domestic film industry.

Will Venice give The Golden Lion to Sokurov or Alexander Nikolayevich will again be left without “gold”? – this was perhaps the main intrigue of the 68th Venice Film Festival, Izvestiya writes. First, because one of the most influential directors of European cinema has so far not received the highest awards of the world’s major festivals - like Scorsese without an Oscar. Venice for several years has been trying to get Sokurov in the competition. And second, the previous big prize – The Golden Lion for “The Return” by Andrei Zvyagintsev – was received in 2003 by Russia, which means that the golden harvest time has come for Russia.

It would be good if Sokurov’s Golden Lion is a victory not only of Sokurov’s auteur cinema, but of the whole Russian cinematography, the newspaper notes. Especially today – in light of the disappointing studies about which, with a kind of a malicious glee, the Russian Internet is shouting: distributors do not want to show Russian movies and the audience does not want to watch them. Saturday’s Golden Lion awarded to “Faust” and the wide publicity that Sokurov’s victory has received is still a chance that the Russian cinema will overcome another serious crisis.

The main competitors of “Faust” by Alexander Sokurov, according to critics, were “Carnage” by Roman Polanski and “Shame” by Steve McQueen, Moskovskaya Pravda recalls. “Faust” is the most ambitious and complex film project of Sokurov. Most of the budget was spent on the historical scenery, props and costumes. The director not just voluntarily interpreted the first part of Goethe’s tragedy, he built a whole world of the first third of the XIX century.

Rossiiskaya Gazeta published an interview with Alexander Sokurov in which he, in particular, speaks about the situation in the Russian cinematography. “We had a brilliant documentary production in the Urals and in Siberia,” the director said. “There was a very good studio in Sverdlovsk. There was a strong Lenfilm studio. And now dozens of talented people who have tried to enter Mosfilm or Russian World Studios, where they can only count the money, fail to get any support. And what about the national cinema of Russia? And the Caucasian cinema, which should be developed? And where gifted debutants will go? The government has funded the development of cinema – and what?”