MOSCOW, December 3. /TASS/. Limiting the number of American films in the Russian box office could support the national cinema, Karen Shakhnazarov, a well-known Russian film director and head of the Mosfilm, said in a radio interview on Monday.
"I think, it is necessary to limit the number of American movies that are launched here (in Russia - TASS). It concerns not all foreign films but only American ones," he said.
According to the head of Mosfilm, such a measure will create equal rights for films from other countries on the Russian market. This will be helpful to both the domestic cinema and the local audience, he said.
"I am talking about creating more fair representation of all motion pictures in Russia. Strictly speaking, on the Russian market it is almost impossible to find Chinese films, or Indian, European, South American ones, which you can watch in many other countries," he noted.
In 2017, Karen Shakhnazarov supported the proposal of the Ministry of Culture to introduce a 3% non-tax payment from each ticket, which would go to the Federal Fund for Social and Economic Support for National Cinematography (Cinema Foundation). Later, the proposal was rejected by the government.
The Cinema foundation was established in January 1995 by a resolution of the government of the Russian Federation. The foundation’s main goals are to support domestic cinematography, increase its competitiveness, provide conditions for creating high-quality films that meet national interests, promote Russian films in the country and abroad.