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Russia worried by U.S. film onslaught

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW JULY 24. The Russian Government and filmmakers are concerned over the domination of Hollywood movies in the Russian cinemas, where Russian films account for a paltry seven per cent. Russia produces about 30 feature films a year, one-fifth of the number made in the Soviet Union, where all film making was financed by the State.

The system collapsed when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991 after which the number of films plummeted to just a handful. Even though today the Russian film industry is on the way to recovery it finds it hard to compete with American blockbusters. The Russian Cabinet discussed the problem at a special session this week, after the President, Vladimir Putin, called for measures to support the Russian filmmakers. The Culture Minister, Mikhail Shvydkoi, said he was working on a programme to produce at least 100 new Russian films every year and bring the share of Russian films in circulation to at least 25 per cent.

However, filmmakers demand more drastic measures.The head of Russia's biggest film studios Mosfilm, Karen Shakhnazarov, called for imposing a legislative limit on the number of Western films allowed to be shown in Russia. ``Quotas on U. S. movies alone can help the Russian cinema to get back on its feet,'' Mr. Shakhnazarov, who is also a successful film director and head of head of Russia's biggest film studios, Mosfilm, said.

The Culture Minister, Mr. Shvydkoi said he opposed quotas, but the proposal may win the support of legislators as a good popularity-boosting measure in the run-up to parliamentary elections next year.

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