Russia, China create new film fund

Midway through Cannes, Sistema Mass-media JSC (Russia) and Huawei (China) have announced the formation of the Russian-Chinese Film Fund. The main line of the Fund’s activity will be development of cooperation between the two countries in the area of media content production.

The Russian-Chinese Film Fund is also designed to strengthen the ties between the two countries as part of ongoing attempts to strengthen relations between the twp super powers.

Sistema Mass-media and Huawei will be the Fund’s founding parties. The Board of Trustees will include Russia’s Ministry of Culture and the Federal Fund for Social and Economic Support for Russian Cinema.

Representatives of the leading Chinese and Russian media companies, such as China Film Group Corporation, China International Television Corporation, Shanghai Media and Entertainment Group, Russian World Studios, and WeiT Media Group of Companies, have been invited to participate in the Expert Committee.

A number of coproductions are already in the works between the new partners. The 1950s-set The Squadron, a story of Soviet and Chinese pilots, is among the first projects backed by the Fund. There are also reportedly plans for a movie about Mao Zedong and about Deng Xiaoping as well as a movie focusing on the Chinese intelligentsia in Russia in the early 20th century. More contemporary stories as well as kids’ films will also be backed.