Imtiaz Ali, a director and producer, has been appointed as the Russian Film Festival’s Indian ambassador. From October 16 to November 27, eleven prominent Russian films of various genres will be broadcast for Indian audiences on Disney+ Hotstar as part of the festival.
According to Ali, the festival will serve as a springboard for numerous future Indian-Russian film partnerships: “Russia and India have cultural ties that go back a long way. Film stars like Raj Kapoor and Mithun Chakraborty have been very popular in Russia and at the same time, Russian music and cinema have been a part of popular culture in India.” He added, “I invite all Indian viewers to catch them from 16th October onwards and forge many more cinematic collaborations between the two great cultures.” He is known for movies like “Love Aaj Kal”, “Jab We Met”, “Rockstar” and “Tamasha”.
According to Olga Lyubimova, Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Russian Film Festival is one of the most effective ways to promote domestic content abroad. Lyubimova said, “Russia and India are already cooperating in the field of cinematography through the BRICS. I am sure that thanks to the convenient online format of the festival, we will be able to expand the audience of the Russian projects and attract new viewers.”
With the support of the Russian Federation’s Ministry of Culture, the Cinema Fund, the Moscow City Tourism Committee, Discover Moscow, Rossotrudnichestvo, and Kartina Entertainment, ROSKINO is putting on India’s first-ever online Russian Film Festival.