Russian regions to reimburse filmmakers

Ten Russian regional governments have agreed to reimburse a portion of costs incurred by Russian productions while filming within their region.

Among the regions are the Moscow, Samara, Rostov and Novgorod regions, St Petersburg and the Republic of Karelia.

“We have signed a total of ten agreements with ten regions. We’re talking about a system of reimbursing costs incurred on the ground. In fact, this is the norm across the world, except in Africa and Russia. But now we are doing it,” Anna Krutova, a member of the board of the Association of Film and Television Producers, said at the St Petersburg Economic Forum.

According to Ms Krutova, the regions are interested in financing filmmakers due to the potential for attracting tourists. She cited Andrey Zvyagintsev’s 2014 film Leviathan as a success story — since serving as the backdrop for the movie, the village of Teriberka in the Murmansk region has become a tourist destination, with four new hotels already built since the film’s release.

Source: Afisha (in Russian)