Among the more prominent stands at this year’s Red Sea Souk is one for Russian organisation Moskino, the Moscow Film Cluster, which represents key studios in the capital.
Moskino’s presence is notable as Russian pavilions have been absent from major festivals such as Cannes and Berlin since the country launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
It is Moskino’s first time exhibiting at Red Sea, having taken stands earlier this year at Shanghai and Mumbai film festivals in a bid to attract productions to its facilities. These include the newly opened six-stage Film City with an extensive backlot, the legendary Gorky Film Studios, and Film Factory, which is under construction.
Moskino introduced a 45% incentive scheme in April, which offers 30% based on production expenditure in the region and a further 15% in the form of discounts for visas, accommodation and hospitality. It is capped at $600,000 per project in the Moscow region.
With the Russian-Ukraine war ongoing, no Western projects are likely shoot in the Moscow region any time soon amid boycotts of the country.
“The European area is not coming to us because the political situation is difficult,” said Georgy Prokopov, head of Moskino, who adds that there are no direct flights from Europe to Moscow.
However, Prokopov confirmed the region has hosted productions from India, Turkey, China and Thailand. They include 2024 Indian movie The Greatest of All Time, directed by Venkat Prabhu.
One of the key attractions is cost and he said it is 50% cheaper to film in Moscow compared to Budapest.
At Red Sea, he is pitching the studios to both the MENA and market, and also to visiting international execs. He insisted there is interest in filming in the region, but acknowledged that many worry about safety and “have questions about the situation with Ukraine”.
“It’s really safe in Moscow now,” Prokopov insists.
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