Russia Archives - Celluloid Junkie

NEWS

Unbowed by Russian Invasion, Ukraine Selects “La Palisiada” as Oscar Submission

The race for the 2025 Oscars is underway, and Ukraine once again finds itself in the running for a top honor. Following last year’s victory for “20 Days in Mariupol” in the Best Documentary category, Ukraine has selected another powerful film, “La Palisiada”, to represent the nation in the Best Inte…

Moldova's National Film Centre is striving to save its national film archive of 2000 films that are at risk of destruction (photo credit: CNC, Chi?in?u, Moldova)

Moldova Fights to Rescue National Archives of 2000 Films at Risk of Destruction

Landlocked and forgotten, Europe’s most undiscovered nation state has only recently received a boost to its profile, largely due to a slightly discomfiting proximity to the military conflict in Ukraine. In much the same boat as the countries bordering it – Romania and Ukraine – Moldova has also suff…

Ukraine’s Docudays UA Festival Take Truth About War on Tour

Ukraine’s Docudays UA festival will tour 20 films across Ukraine this year, including showings in some of the besieged country’s most dangerous flashpoints. Celluloid Junkie spoke to one of the organisers, Maria Buchelnikova, about the importance of carrying human rights messages into a warzone. “Fo…

Cosmax

Russia Launches IMAX Rival After Lawsuit Victory

Russian film distributor Central Partnership has unveiled a local alternative to IMAX, called Cosmax, after the the large format operator lost a local lawsuit challenging its withdrawal from the Russian Federation. The first film to be shown in the new format will be “The Challenge” (als…

Russia Set to Sanction Illegal Screenings of Hollywood Films

The Russian parliament (Duma) has put forward a proposal for the “compulsory licensing of foreign films.” Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February of last year, Hollywood studios have stopped distributing films in Russia. This means that only illegally obtained copies of film…

Russian Cinemas Set to Screen Pirated Copies of “Avatar: The Way of Water”

Plans are underway across Russian cinemas to show high-quality pirated copies of the much anticipated “Avatar: The Way of Water,” a blatantly illegal move that would be a point of new departure for the exhibition sector in the country. It is currently unknown how or when the film will re…

Russian Federation Moves to Legalize Pirated Screenings

Russian State Media is reporting that legislative changes are being proposed by the Federation’s Council Committee on Economic Policy that will allow the distribution of foreign films in Russia without the consent of the copyright holders, but with payment of remuneration to them. These proposa…

CJ EXCLUSIVE: Russia’s Largest Cinema Chain Sues IMAX

Russia’s largest cinema chain has filed a lawsuit against IMAX, demanding that the large format company resumes operations in Russia. The lawsuit from the joint cinema chains Formula Kino and Cinema Park is due to IMAX pulling out of Russia on 1 June of this year, after Hollywood studios and o…

Universal's "Minions: The Rise of Gru"

CJ Exclusive: Russia’s Largest Cinema Chain Abandons Piracy Plans

Russia’s largest multiplex operator has abandoned plans to show Hollywood films by utilising a loophole of dubious copyright legality. United chain Kino Park and Formula Kino was getting ready to screen Universal Picture and Illumination’s “Minions: the Rise of Gru” as a ‘cinema product’. However, t…

Half of Russia’s Cinemas Under Threat of Closure

Russia’s cinema trade body has warned that around half of the country’s cinemas are under threat of closure following the economic sanctions against the country due to the ongoing war in Ukraine which saw Hollywood halt the release of new films. The Russian Association of Theater Owners…