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Global opinion of Russian cinema changing rapidly, says culture minister

Olga Lyubimova noted that six Russian-produced films were included in the program of the Cannes Festival

ST. PETERSBURG, June 4. /TASS/. The opinion of global audiences concerning Russian cinema is undergoing a rapid change, Russian Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova told TASS on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"We see incredible interest in Russian content, not only oriented towards Russian audiences, but aimed at global viewers as well. The attitude towards our cinematographers, writers, directors, showrunners is changing rapidly right before our eyes," she revealed.

Lyubimova pointed out that Russian creators made it to the global top 10 of bestselling TV series. She also noted that six Russian-produced films were included in the program of the Cannes Festival. The minister lauded the success of "To the Lake," a Russian web television series that topped the ratings of Western platforms. She highlighted the popularity of Russian animated content, namely the success of Smeshariki, also known as Kikoriki, in China.

The Russian culture minister noted that the Russian government had poured some 4.2 bln rubles (approximately $57.3 mln) into supporting the film industry during the pandemic. This amount was distributed between film producers and film networks.

Earlier, Lyubimova told TASS that 99.1% of Russian movie theaters had opened after the forced break during the pandemic, and they now are open in all 85 Russian regions. "Cinemas are returning back to life, they are making a comeback, thanks to state support, of course. Now, we expect that little by little the restrictions will be lifted, where the epidemiological situation allows it to be," she noted.

About SPIEF

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, organized by the Roscongress Foundation, is being held on June 2-5. The event also includes forums touching on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME), other discussion panels such as the Healthy Society and Drug Safety forums as well as the SPIEF Junior session.

SPIEF-2021 is being hosted in a face-to-face format with all anti-coronavirus measures in effect. TASS is the official photo hosting agency and information partner of the event.