GOA: Indian filmmakers showed a keen interest in co-producing with Russia at FILM BAZAAR 2023, a film market where Russian companies and film commissions participated. The event saw the participation of 1,250 representatives from 36 countries, including India, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Belgium, France, and Australia.
The surge of interest in joint film production was driven by the Indian government’s decision to increase filming incentives. The government announced that it would compensate up to 40% of production costs, and international films are eligible for this program. This decision was announced on the first day of FILM BAZAAR, which further fueled the interest of Indian filmmakers in co-producing with Russia.
Representatives from Indian film companies, distributors, and international film festivals expressed their interest not only in the purchase and distribution of Russian content but also in co-production. The Association of Women Film Producers, which participated in FILM BAZAAR for the first time, is considering several projects for co-production and held negotiations with several Indian companies.
Pan-Atlantic Studio, whose main task at FILM BAZAAR was to find an Indian co-production partner for their new film Gems, which will be partially shot in India, received many requests from Indian film companies. The film will tell the story of a girl Martha, nicknamed Martykha-Maharaja, from a Khanty-Mansi orphanage, who loves Indian cinema and dreams of going to this fabulous country. The film will be directed by Tina Barkalaya, whose debut film Hoffmann’s Fairy Tales became part of the main competition program of IFFI, which was held in parallel with the film market.
KIT Film Studio presented a joint Russian-Indian documentary film Low Tide and two full-length film adaptation projects in development. The main focus of negotiations with Indian partners was also the possibility of co-production.
Russian animation companies, Voronezh Animation Studio and Riki Group, also participated in FILM BAZAAR and noted that specialists from the Indian animation industry were interested in the opportunity to collaborate with Russian animation companies. Voronezh Studio also discussed collaboration with Indian VFX studios.
The Russian film industry’s participation in FILM BAZAAR was organized by ROSKINO with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. ROSKINO also organized a “Filming Locations in Russia” stand as part of the film market, where opportunities for filming in various Russian regions were presented. The stand attracted the attention of Indian producers and filmmakers, some of whom already have experience filming in Russia and are now looking for new filming locations in different Russian cities.
FILM BAZAAR 2023 was a successful event for Russian content producers, with Indian filmmakers showing a keen interest in co-producing with Russia. The event saw the participation of representatives from 36 countries, and the surge of interest in joint film production was driven by the Indian government’s decision to increase filming incentives.
Russian Content Worldwide (RCW) is the national umbrella brand of the Russian content industry. RCW brings together Russian industry professionals promoting their products in international markets and is designed to raise awareness among global professional audiences about the capabilities of the Russian creative industries in the creation of films, TV series, and animation, and about Russia’s potential for broad international cooperation.
