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Serbian director calls for bringing Russian culture to masses

Emir Kusturica put a spotlight on modern Russian literature, namely writers Alexey Salnikov, Yevgeny Vodolazkin and Zakhar Prilepin

SAINT PETERSBURG, November 17. /TASS/. Modern and authentic Russian culture needs to be recognized around the world and should be promoted internationally, Serbian director Emir Kusturica believes, citing the works of Yevgeny Vodolazkin and Zakhar Prilepin as an example.

"Now we have to think about how to get authentic Russian culture recognized around the world. It was known, but I think the West didn't want to reveal how many masterpieces you have, because of an age-old attitude," the filmmaker told reporters on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum — Forum of United Cultures.

Kusturica put a spotlight on modern Russian literature, namely writers Alexey Salnikov, Yevgeny Vodolazkin and Zakhar Prilepin. Meanwhile, he noted that not many movies in Russia are based on Russian contemporary prose. "You have strong characters that were not [used] because you used what was coming from the West," the Serbian director added.

Earlier Kusturica said that he was going to screen two works of Russian literature at once. The first film, which the Serbian filmmaker will shoot in Russian, will be a modern adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. After that, Kusturica will embark on a screen adaptation of Vodolazkin's novel Laurus, where the writer himself will take on the role of screenwriter.

The St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum — Forum of United Cultures is being held from November 16 to 18. The event was organized by the Russian Government and the Ministry of Culture, St. Petersburg authorities and the State Hermitage Museum. TASS is the general information partner, the official press center operator and the official photo host agency of the forum.