Posters for Russian films (L-R) : "He's a Dragon," "How I Became Russian," and "T-34." (Screenshot photo/Douban.com)
Since May this year, the Russian people have been enjoying a feast of Chinese culture, including economy, trade, culture, science, and technology. Exchanges and cooperation in various fields are rich and colorful. These activities reflect the fact that China and Russia are turning the advantages of political relations into more tangible achievements of cooperation.
With the increasingly close cultural exchanges between China and Russia, the film cooperation between the two countries is also booming. The cooperation mode not only includes running China-Russia film festivals and importing films from each other, but also extends to film co-production.
In the past two years, several Russian films released in the Chinese mainland have performed well at the box office – such as "Journey to China: The Mystery of the Iron Mask" and "Ballet in the Flames of War" – and received positive feedback from audiences.
Besides, after the success of the Russian film "He's a Dragon" at the Chinese box office, the producers decided to include Chinese elements in the sequel, which will be co-produced by China and Russia. Also, a Chinese-Russian co-production film of "How I Became Russian" was also released in 2018.
Speaking about co-production prospects, Timur Bekmambetov, producer of "He's a Dragon," told Xinhua News Agency the success of the film in China shows the Chinese audience's recognition of Russian films, and the strong willingness and curiosity of the two peoples to get to know each other. Films can strengthen cultural understanding between the two countries, and although co-productions are still rare, he believes there will be a lot of growth in Russian-Chinese co-productions in the coming years.
"Three Seconds," which will hit Chinese mainland cinemas on June 13, is based on a controversial match in world sports history. The film was also well received by the media and film lovers during its screening at this year's Beijing International Film Festival (BIFF).
The film, which took three years to produce, including 30 days to shoot the final scene alone, grossed 3 billion rubles at the domestic film box office, making it the No. 1 domestic film of all time.
Since 2006, China and Russia have held film weeks in each other's countries every other year. This year's China-Russia film festival opened in Beijing and Suzhou April 14-21, showcasing seven Russian films. The upcoming Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) will also feature several Russian films, including "The Snow Queen: Mirror lands" and "T-34."
