Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova said major U.S. film companies could theoretically return their movies to Russian cinemas, but each film would be reviewed for compliance with Russian law and so-called “traditional moral values.”
She made the comments in an interview with Alexandra Suvorova, a journalist with the Vesti news service.
According to Lyubimova, if Hollywood studios decide to return to the Russian market and submit their films for distribution certificates, Russian authorities will first assess their content.
“If it is a film primarily aimed at somehow destabilizing the situation in the country, a politicized film created, say, in violation of historical truth, it is unlikely that such a film could be shown in cinemas in our country — either now or in the future,” Lyubimova said.
At the same time, she noted that Western film companies whose productions meet Russian requirements are already legally represented in the country’s film distribution market.
Lyubimova also recalled that major U.S. studios left the Russian market four years ago and claimed that Russian authorities had neither pressured nor forced them to leave.
Leave a comment