Russian film goes global

One of the largest and oldest film studios in Europe, Russia’s Mosfilm, is set to launch a brand-new bilingual website, screening films from its rich collection.

By end of April, users will be given an opportunity to watch Russian films with English subtitles, either online or by downloading them from wherever they are.

Initially there will be 140 films in Mosfilm’s library, but that number is set to grow. Apart from a selection of hits and “golden classics”, access will also be given to landmark productions by such legendary filmmakers as Sergey Eisenstein, Ivan Pyryev and Grigory Aleksandrov.

The head of Mosfilm’s International Relations Department, Sergey Simagin, was quoted as saying the idea of creating a similar website was hatched quite a while ago.

“There always used to be some sort of a middleman between a viewer and a film – be it a cinema house or a TV-set or a DVD manufacturer. They told the viewer what to watch. But not any longer.”

Using Mosfilm’s cinema website promises to be easy, given payment can be made either by means of a credit card or electronic payment system. There are also three options of watching films: online but in a specific time slot; on-demand or by downloading.