- Filming in RussiaRussia is more than 17 million km2 and 11 time zones of nature, of winter and summer landscapes, of historic architecture, and of the past and the future. Russia is not even a world but a whole universe, providing a wide variety of shooting locations: you will find the location you need in Russia.
There are 38 film commissions in 89 regions in Russia. All of them are ready to offer a one window service for film production and provide free assistance for film companies in location scouting, obtaining shooting permits, ensuring safety, and involving local staff, actors, and extras.
Discover filmmaking in Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad Film Commission
https://cinema39.ru/en/
cinema39@festdir.ru
Ekaterina Chumak +7 (909) 783-76-26
Discover filmmaking in Veliky Novgorod
Novgorod Region Film Commission
kinokom-nov@inbox.ru
Irina Makarova +7 911 631-49-30
kinokom-nov@inbox.ru
Irina Makarova +7 911 631-49-30
Discover filmmaking in Kola Peninsula
Film production center, Murmansk Region
nchfest@gmail.com
Svetlana Soldatova +7 (911) 303-21-90, +7 (921) 511-05-00
nchfest@gmail.com
Svetlana Soldatova +7 (911) 303-21-90, +7 (921) 511-05-00
Discover filmmaking in Karelia
Discover Filmmaking in Nizhny Novgorod
Discover Filmmaking in Khanty-Mansiysk—Yugra
Discover Filmmaking in Primorye
State Funding
- Subsidies from the federal budgetState support can only be provided only to national films meeting the following criteria:
- The producer is a Russian citizen or a legal entity legitimately registered on the territory of the Russian Federation.
- The majority of the film's creators (director, writer and composer) are Russian citizens.
- No more than 30% of the film's creative crew do not possess Russian citizenship.
- At least 50% of the production is done by film companies registered in the Russian Federation.
- Foreign investment in the production does not exceed 50% of the film's total budget.
- Profanity is not used in the film.
Film funding is provided from the federal budget. It is
administered by:- The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation
- The Cinema Fund, which is a non-profit organization founded by the Russian government.
The proportion of state funding cannot exceed 70% of a film's total budget.
The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation provides non-repayable subsidies. The Cinema Fund provides non-repayable, partially repayable and fully repayable subsidies. Repaid funds are subsequently reinvested in state support for film production. - Regional subsidiesEight of the Russian Federation's regions have adopted regulations on regional rebates:
- Vologda region – 20%.
Film commission: Cinema House, a foundation for the social and economic development of the Vologda region's filmmakers
- Kaliningrad region – up to 20%.
Film commission: the non-profit organization Festival Directorate, the Kaliningrad region film commission
- Ulyanovsk region – up to 30%.
Film commission: Ulyanovsk Film Fund, a regional governmental autonomous cultural institution
- Novgorod region – up to 20%.
Film commission: Novgorod region film commission
-Pskov region – up to 30%.
Film commission: Pskov region culture committee
- Perm region – up to 50%.
Film commission: Perm Cinematheque, a state regional budgetary culture institution
- Primorye region (administrative centre: Vladivostok) – 15%.
Film commission: Primorye Regional Centre for the People's Culture, an autonomous state institution
Regional governments subsidize part of the funds spent by Russian filmmakers on the region's territory, using the services provided by regional film commissions.
- Co-productionRussia is a member of the 1992 European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production, which enables Russian producers to carry out joint projects with any European country under the conditions stipulated by this treaty. Specifically, for bilateral agreements, the minimum contribution may not be less than 20% and the maximum contribution may not exceed 80% of the total production budget. For multilateral agreements, the minimum contribution may not be lessthan 10% and the maximum contribution may not exceed 70% of the total production budget.
Bilateral co-productions between Russia and a country with which it has a bilateral co-production agreement are subject to the provisions of that agreement.
Russia has signed bilateral intergovernmental co-production agreements with the following countries:
- France (July 8, 1967)
- Canada (October 5, 1995)
- Italy (November 28, 2002)
- Bulgaria (July 7, 2004)
- Germany (July 19, 2011)
- China (July 4, 2017)
- India (September 4, 2019)
The Russian Federation has also entered into a multilateral agreement with the CIS countries. It was signed on November 14, 2008, and its current members are Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Tajikistan.
If a co-production project meets the criteria of the Convention or the relevant bilateral agreement, then, assuming the stipulated procedure is observed, it is treated as a co-production, receives a national film certificate and becomes eligible for state financial support.
Since 2011, Russia has been a member of Eurimages, the cultural support fund of the Council of Europe. Under its co-production support programme, the fund has so far supported 27 film projects involving Russia, of which 20 were Russian majority coproductions.
In 2019, the Russian Ministry of Culture ran its first competition for support for co-production projects with minority participation by Russian producers. Up to RUB 10 million (about €140,000) of subsidies was to be provided per minority co-production project.