The prime minister has promised to support the film industry.
The prime minister recently visited the new sound stages and studios at VGIK (the cinematography institute), which is due to celebrate its 90th anniversary this year.
Vladimir Putin informed the film-makers of the government's allocation of almost 4 billion roubles for VGIK's development. Clearly, apart from congratulations, the prime minister's visit also had a pragmatic goal: to see first hand how well these billions are being spent. He quickly discovered that the bulk of the money was used to build a new educational building and bring the institute's equipment up to date.
Putin was quite pleased with what he saw, apparently so much so that he agreed to "appear in a film". He walked on starch powder spread across the floor to imitate snow. He also learnt how to simulate gunshots in a documentary film about commandos.
"Let's just say that I've made my contribution to the art of film," the prime minister said to laughter from the students after promising to "come collect his fee at the end of the month".
While at VGIK, Putin presided over a meeting of the Government Council for the Development of the Russian Film Industry and the conversation turned to more serious matters.
"We've managed to not only preserve the human potential, but the infrastructure as well," Putin noted.
This has allowed us to bring our film industry to a level that the prime minister described as "dignified".
"The share of box office profits from Russian films in the domestic market has increased more than tenfold," Putin said optimistically.
As he sees it, box office receipts are continuing to grow even despite the fact that the world crisis has hit the film industry. The prime minister recalled that the Great Depression in the US had given a powerful impetus to the film industry in the country and made it extremely profitable.
"The industry is still benefitting from the dividends that come from the surge made at that time," Putin pointed out, stressing that the problems the film industry faces have nothing to do with money or tax breaks, although that still cannot be ignored. If Russia wants to create films that will win not only domestic audiences, but world audiences as well, an intelligent use of resources is the key factor.
Igor Markov