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Interview with Mr. Karen Shaknazarov, Russian film maker and CEO,
MOSFILM studios during 13th International Film Festival of Kerala, 2008 (12-19 December, 2008) by film critic Lalit Rao

Lalit Rao : Good Evening. My name is Lalit Rao and I am the editor of www.cinema-poet.com website. Today I have with me a great Russian director Mr. Karen Shaknazarov. He is also the director and CEO of MOSFILM studio.

Lalit Rao : Good Evening Mr. Shaknazarov, thank you for giving me a chance to interview you.

Karen Shaknazarov : Good Evening.

Lalit Rao : Indian cinema is known for song and dance, Hong Kong cinema is known for martial arts. How will you define Russian cinema ?

Karen Shaknazarov : I suppose that for Russian cinema the main thing is its style. It is a realistic and psychological cinema. Again, let us ask for instance : what is the difference between Russian cinema and American cinema ? American cinema is very good at telling stories. Russian cinema is not very good in telling stories. But Russian cinema is good in making images. This is the reason why this style thing is the main thing for Russian cinema.

Lalit Rao : Mr Shaknazarov,in the beginning of your career you made a lot of comedy films, films with music such as Dobryaki, Jazz Men, Winter Evening in Gagry. Later on you made Zero City, History of Poison : absurd films. So why did you change your style ?

Karen Shaknazarov : It is because of life that I changed my style. I have become older. I see that there are much more surrealistic things in life compared to when I was young. The other thing is that people change with age. So I am more interested in other films now. Though, I dream of making another musical and comedy. It is a very good genre.

Lalit Rao : I asked you this because in Russian cinema there are not many films of musical genre.

Karen Shaknazarov: It is a pity. There are very few films of musical genre.

Lalit Rao : There is your film and may be to some extent “Taxi Blues” which has some music in it but not exactly.

Lalit Rao : Mr Shaknazarov,how is the response to your films in Russia ?

Karen Shaknazarov : It is good. It is considered as popular cinema. But there are some films such as Zero City which is considered an intellectual film. So I have made different films.

Lalit Rao : Mr Shaknazarov, if we look at your career, we can note that the history of Russia plays an important role in your films. It is also an important theme of many Russian films. Why is it so ? What is the message which Russian filmmakers want to give when they portray history in Russian films ?

Karen Shaknazarov : I suppose that the Russian filmmakers want to give a message of humanity. The relationship between humans and the attention to human values. At least, I want to believe in this.

Lalit Rao : Mr Shaknazarov, you have been president and CEO of MOSFILM since 1998.Regarding MOSFILM, I want to know are there any studio co-productions with other countries ? How many films are made by MOSFILM in a year ?

Karen Shaknazarov : I feel we make around 30-40 films in a year.

Lalit Rao : All sorts of films features,animations and documentaries ?

Karen Shakanazarov : No documentary films. At MOSFILM it is mostly fiction and television films that are made. We don’t have many co- productions.During Soviet Union period, we had many co-productions. For Example : with India. I began a film but it failed. You must remember that Soviet cinema industry was ruined to zero in the middle of nineties. We have built the whole industry in 10 years. So the percentage of co-production is new.

Lalit Rao : Mr.Shaknazarov : Is Russian cinema currently supported by television or by private investors ?

Karen Shaknazarov : It is supported a lot by television.

Lalit Rao : Is it supported by NTV ?

Karen Shaknazarov : Yes. NTV is now the main investor in Russian cinema. Private and state players also play an important role.

Lalit Rao : Mr Shaknazarov : What is your personal taste in music ? In your film “Jazz Men” you showed Jazz and in “The Vanished Empire” : Beatles and Rolling Stones.

Karen Shaknazarov : Now, I like classical music : Tchaikovsky, Verdi. I like different types of music. Meanwhile, I like very much traditional Indian film music. People in the west might say why ? It is very unusual. It is very interesting style. It is my opinion.

Lalit Rao :Mr.Shaknazarov:I am sure that you must have answered my next question many times.How does it feel to be at International Film Festival of Kerala ? Your retrospective is happening for the first time in India.

Karen Shaknazarov : It is very honorable for me that this festival is showing my films. This film “A rider named death” is an important film. It is a film about terrorism. This is a problem for Indian people as much as it is a problem for Russian people.

Lalit Rao : Mr. Shaknazarov : This is my last question to you. How are Russian films presented at International film festivals after the fall of the communism. Before the end of communism, it was Goskino and state controlled management which used to present Russian films at film festivals.

Karen Shaknazarov : Now, it is ministry of culture which is continuing to present films at International film festivals. There is also for instance MOSFILM. We ourselves send films and organize events like “Week of Russian cinema“ at International film festivals. Some private person too send films at film festivals.

Lalit Rao : Mr. Shaknazarov : It is a great thing that not only your retrospective but even other Russian films are shown at this festival. We hope that you will continue to send us more Russian films because Russian cinema is very much appreciated in India. Thank you very much.

Karen Shaknazarov : Thank you very much.

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