- Статьи
- Culture
- "We are witnessing the rise of patriotic creativity, as during the Great Patriotic War"
"We are witnessing the rise of patriotic creativity, as during the Great Patriotic War"
More than 100,000 events are being prepared in connection with the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova said in an interview with Izvestia. Major museums and theaters will hold actions in the cities to which they were evacuated in 1941. 77 museums in the new regions are being reformatted for a children's audience. The head of the Ministry of Culture also spoke about her favorite films about the war, the continuation of the Red Silk mission and preparations for the possible return of Hollywood to Russian screens.
"Each cultural institution has a separate block of events not for May 9th, but for the whole year ahead"
— Obviously, the key theme of this year is the Victory anniversary. What are the most interesting projects awaiting us in this regard?
— There is a huge organizing committee with dozens of federal agencies, all 89 regions are preparing to celebrate the anniversary of the Great Victory. This is an additional responsibility for all of us, including the Ministry of Culture, which is responsible for organizing committee projects. There are already 190 major events on the big list.
According to various sources, there are about 100 thousand cultural institutions in our country. So, there will be more events, because each small library has its own program, and each of the largest theaters also has its own events. We have 71 federal museums. The westernmost one is the Museum of the World Ocean in Kaliningrad. On the other hand, there is the unique Arsenyev Museum of the History of the Far East in Vladivostok. And there's a celebration plan everywhere.
Museum of the World Ocean in Kaliningrad
One of the most important centers in this regard is the Victory Museum on Poklonnaya Gora. The team of Alexander Yakovlevich Shkolnik, the museum's director, was very actively preparing for the 75th anniversary of the Victory. A modern interactive exhibition was created, which was addressed to everyone — from the youngest visitors to veterans. And now there is another project: a whole block of permanent exhibitions is being prepared.
It is very important to us that in almost all regions these exhibitions are closely linked to projects on a special military operation. It is impossible to make an exhibition about the war and not pay attention to what is happening at this moment, how people live in our country. Therefore, very often the exhibition turns out to have parallels. It is not only about the Great Patriotic War, but also about what we are witnessing. This includes our fellow citizens from Donbass and Novorossiya.
Our federal theaters are preparing amazing productions. With what love and awe they recall the most difficult seasons in their history, spent in evacuation! This year, the Bolshoi Theater is going to Kuibyshev — to Samara — to thank the residents of this region after 80 years. My grandmother was a ballerina at the Bolshoi Theatre during the evacuation. That's why it's my family's story. Alexandrinka is preparing a big documentary about how she worked during the war.
Fragment of the building of the Russian State Academic Drama Theater named after A. S. Pushkin
I'm afraid of offending someone. But I can say with confidence that each cultural institution has a separate block of events not for May 9th, but for the whole year ahead.
— You said about the grandmother. A literature teacher once suggested to me a very interesting way to measure history by shaking hands. In this sense, we are about the same generation: before the war, we only shook hands. We perceive those events not so much with our minds as with our hearts. Through the pain of relatives, loved ones, through their losses. A new generation is growing up, for whom the Great Patriotic War is like the War of 1812 for us. They find themselves too far away in time and space, even in handshakes. How can we teach them not to know and understand, but to feel that the country has lived? Is it possible to do this with the help of culture?
— Of course, it is possible to do this with the help of culture. For this purpose, the "Immortal Regiment" was created. I remember how my children and my whole family participated in the "Immortal Regiment" in Belgrade. We are talking about traditions and continuity. May 9th is also a tradition. If we are all having a very loud, noisy, and fun New Year, then May 9th is the time to be with our family. I can say that my children and I went to the Theater Square, and my children managed to literally touch the veterans with their hands. My son is now 22 years old, he has not forgotten this and, of course, will not forget it.
On the other hand, Russian children now have parents fighting. We are all connected in one way or another with what is happening at the front now. It's hard to imagine that these children will grow up without an idea of what war is. Therefore, it is very important not to forget about the glorious pages of our history, about the heroes of the Great Patriotic War and about the heroes of modern times. And culture should certainly help in this.
"Thanks to modern digital technologies, we don't flirt with children, but talk to them in their usual language."
— This generation perceives the war in a completely different way. I recently came across a film by a famous American director. About the war. A light action movie, almost a comic book. Is this a way to convey or not?
— My son watched the movie "Go and See" several times. But my daughter can't, she bursts into tears. This is neither good nor bad. There are different psychology of perception. But we must give the younger generation the opportunity to see such a movie. Thanks to modern digital technologies, we do not flirt with children, but talk to them in their usual language. Because of this, we are trying so hard to have a lot of multimedia in our museums, so that the screens, like in your studio, are not only at the performances of show business stars.
An amazing projection was created by our colleagues from the Victory Museum: you need to send your relative's profile to the museum's website, and he will get into the "Immortal Regiment", which is in digital format all the time. You can go up, type in your grandfather's name, and see a man holding a portrait of your grandfather. I see how the children and their teachers react to this. It's a very simple trick. But how it affects people: here, the memory of my ancestors is here, in the most important museum!
The building of the main building of the Victory Museum
We have big plans within the framework of the national project "Family", we are building children's centers in museums. There are currently 77 museums in new regions, and we started with them. Why are we doing this? Because there is a museum of local lore, the people there are wonderful, but, as a rule, the child comes on an excursion in the first grade and in the eleventh. In the eighth grade, maybe the literature or history teacher brought me back. And it is important for us that these children go there twice a week for a circle. So that "know, love and respect your land" is presented in a completely different way, in a different format, with the same tablets as in your hands, so that it all "flies", so that it is interesting. Again, this is not flirting, this is their usual form of interaction.
— We have films about the war that we all know, love, remember, quote by heart. But there is still a huge layer that, perhaps, is not so widely known to the audience. What's wrong with him?
— There are two unique spaces: Mosfilm and Gosfilmofond. It is on these shoulders that all the responsibility and joy of preserving our unique audiovisual heritage lie. The Mosfilm channel shows digitized films in excellent quality, which is very important for a child. The Gosfilmofond continues to digitize films, and there will be several festivals.
— Where can I find out about this?
— We will announce it in the Kultura.RF space. Mosfilm has an audience of millions, and the Gosfilmofond has also created its own platform, called the Time Machine, where the rarest masterpieces will be presented. There is also an opportunity to watch this movie for free on the portal "Culture of the Russian Federation". Of course, special attention in the year of the Victory anniversary will be paid to ensuring that information policy is carried out more actively.
— But besides movies, there are also a huge number of documents, historical photographs, what happens with their digitization?
— I can't help but be happy for our documentary filmmakers. There were crisis years for documentaries, when everyone was passionate about a vivid game picture. Especially when it became possible to watch a variety of movies from different countries. Documentaries were difficult to promote, but you know how popular they are now on Internet sites and online platforms.
— It seems to me that the era of the documentary renaissance is beginning now!
—That's right. Plus, the features allow it. A good smartphone allows you to shoot a video and mount it even better in quality than we used to use professional equipment. Moreover, we have created the first two studios called "Outpost" in Shakhtersk of the DPR and Lugansk at the Matusovsky Academy of Culture and Arts. They will officially open by May 9th. These will be platforms for our military officers and for local guys who receive specialized education there. And in general, for all the documentarians who can come there, upload a picture, watch, assemble a film. All the equipment has already been purchased, and the infrastructure has been created. You can even spend the night there.
We also plan to open a similar studio in Sevastopol.
— We are generally faced with a kind of new reality of documentaries, when we see real epoch-making events not through the eyes of an outside observer, but through the eyes of a participant.
— I read the memoirs of the great classic military operator Vladislav Mikosha. When he first filmed the fight, he tried to shoot it epically. And then he came to VGIK, and I think Eisenstein told him, "Don't do this." Take down the whole truth about the war, we must show all generations through what sweat and blood, these heroes, these men who are now fighting for our victory, went through a real feat.
To the question that you keep drawing parallels in your head all the time. You understand that the current war correspondents are the same Mikoshi who go to film and show us the whole truth about what is happening. And they prove, among other things, our truth and the truth of our country.
"The most powerful and memorable films about the war were made years after it"
— What is your favorite movie about the war?
—Come and see." It's hard to call him a favorite. It's not something you come home and review. Favorite movies are, you know, to relax and have fun. But the hardest internal work, if we talk about films about the war, I have there.
A scene from the movie "Go and See" directed by Elem Klimov
I dream and fight together with today's cinematographers so that our modern films about the Great Patriotic War and ITS aftermath reach the level of films of the Soviet years and become classics of Russian and world cinema. This is a huge challenge for our current directors, producers, and screenwriters who are currently writing about the war. This is a long and very serious path.
— And then there was the Belorussky Railway Station. It's not about the war anymore, but what people take out of the war.
— I agree with you.
A scene from the film "Belorussky Railway Station" directed by Andrey Smirnov
— Can we say that now we are witnessing the same rise not only of culture, but, in a good sense, of patriotic creativity? The same as was observed during the Great Patriotic War? It was really hard back then. But here is besieged Leningrad, and Shostakovich's symphony, and working libraries.
— I can hardly compare us today with people who survived the blockade, and I don't need this comparison. We live in a different time, but nevertheless there are fantastic lyrics. Surprisingly, it would seem that all poetry remained deep in the Silver Age. Okay, the 1960s, the 80s, but already the 90s, the noughties are isolated authors. The fact that there is a surge of poetry at the front is very, very symptomatic, I think. Young guys, military men, write and read their works, they are really very strong. Books are published, people buy them, and the crowd comes to creative evenings. It would seem that in the 21st century it is already impossible to imagine such a thing. But I can say with certainty that there is no region where such events would not take place on an ongoing basis.
— I was surprised by the return of military poetry, for the first time since the time of David Samoilov. Even in the era of the thaw, all poetry was based on what was done during the war.
— Of course, we also read Samoilov in the 80s. And the most powerful and memorable films about the war were shot years after it. People wrote about this war, reflected on this topic, fantastic works were born, incredible acting images.
People's Artist Vladimir Zamansky
My godfather, Vladimir Zamansky, is alive, a fantastic artist — he worked at Sovremennik and at the Ermolova Theater. But everyone forgets that first of all it was a tanker who carried two people and his commander out of a burning tank. Such a quiet, intelligent man who played in dozens of Soviet films.
— Are we going to expect this takeoff in the near future?
— I think so, yes. The main thing we can do is to create maximum opportunities for these people in our country. So that when they return from the front, those who have the ability to do so will have the opportunity to make films and write plays. There are very few decent modern plays, and our theater community is in dire need of them.
"It is very important for us to promote Russian cinema in China"
— In principle, we really need culture, and very badly. History is a fertile stratum. And not only within the framework of one country. Let's take the Red Silk project, which China was very interested in and which was very successful. What are your future plans for cooperation with China?
— "Red Silk" has indeed become the highest-grossing film in its genre in the history of Russian distribution. After all, this is, first of all, an action detective. A detective story with such a serious box office — almost 700 million rubles at the box office — is really a success. The producers did the impossible — they got a rental in China during co-production and became successful in Russia. I know that the second part, "Black Silk," is already being prepared, and the producers and screenwriters are taking the continuation of this story very seriously, hoping to attract even more viewers to the cinemas.
We are currently in China with a large team of Russian producers, meeting with our colleagues who are engaged in supporting Chinese cinema and co-production. It is very important to us that there is a direct signal from the two leaders. Both Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Xi Jinping spoke at the forum in Kazan about our cinema, that they really love us in China, they know Soviet cinema there. Every time they meet, the Chinese warmly recall certain works, heroes from Soviet times. Of course, it is very important for us to continue this tradition. And besides, you probably understand that China has long been the first cinema in the world.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping
We are very proud of our revived cinema network, which was almost completely lost in the 90s. It was created thanks to the national project "Culture" and a huge amount of investments by Russian entrepreneurs in this area. But just imagine that the Chinese network consists of 120 thousand cinemas. This is a very popular area of culture for the Chinese mass audience. And it is very important for us to promote Russian cinema there. Our trip was also related to the fact that a number of Russian films will apply for a distribution certificate, "Dragon's Seal". Chinese distributors have become interested in us, and they note that the level of audiovisual graphics and scripts in Russian cinema is growing. And they are very strict viewers.
At the same time, it is very important for us to have more joint production. And in the field of animation, because Chinese children like our "Smeshariki". Our colleagues from the Ricky Studio also had the opportunity to participate in the negotiations with us. On the Chinese side, the leaders of the rental and film companies were present.
"We follow and root for every Russian premiere"
— Against this background, the following question arises. The ice has broken, gentlemen of the jury are talking about the return of American companies. What if it comes to Hollywood coming back here? What are we going to do?
— We live in such a unique and strange time, when it would be too presumptuous to predict something and imagine with certainty at what moment, how, when and who will come or not. But you need to prepare for any scenario. The current mechanism for issuing rental certificates and a number of regulations of the Russian Federation make it possible, of course, to monitor and count on the season ahead, what kind of cinema, in what sequence and quantity, when it is released in Russia. And, of course, the Ministry of Culture will always take into account the interests of Russian viewers and domestic film companies. This is because, among other things, the Cinema and IRI Foundation invests an unprecedented amount of budget funds in Russian film production to support audiovisual products. Therefore, it is very important for us, regardless of how the market situation develops, to ensure that Russian films can be released without being killed by competitors.
We had three years. Those who are engaged in audiovisual production are now wondering how the state will provide them with the opportunity to work in the market if the departed players return, if some countries or film companies become friendly, if their products comply with our legislation, which will allow us to issue a rental certificate. We have our own idea of spiritual and moral values, how cinema can look in principle, how it is labeled, and what age it is intended for. We are preparing together with the industry and thinking about how it should be presented. If it is necessary to make any changes in the legal field, then we will do it. The most important thing is that these decisions are consistent and obvious to all market participants. First of all, for the audience.
— The viewer will go to watch a high-quality movie, and no matter how much money you pour into a low-quality producer, he will lose anyway.
"It's true. We can all see perfectly well that in the first two weeks there is a magic marketing, and in the next two weeks there is a "sundress". If your neighbor praised the movie, you'll believe him. And they showed you an advertisement 20 times on TV or on your phone, but your neighbor said that after 15 minutes he just left and cursed, and never in your life will you spend a single ruble to go to the cinema for this.
That's why we are now watching and rooting for every Russian premiere. It's very similar to football. Here are two winning matches in a row — and how happy we are, how we cheer for the club!
"We need to learn how to make movies so that people want to go to the cinema in the summer"
— There are more victories in Russian cinema, and our cinema has become different for the better. Even in the simplest projects, it sometimes turns out to be deeper and more interesting than Hollywood.
— It is very important for us now that Russian cinema learns not to be afraid of being multigenerational. If you remember, it all started with sports victories. "Legend No. 17", "Moving Up", a number of other films that brought people to cinemas, their box office was huge. And everyone rushed to shoot a sports drama. At some point, people got a little tired of this: not everyone loves sports so much, they still want to watch different movies. And I want to read different books, I want to go to different theaters for performances.
Now we are seeing the dawn of children's cinema. Five years ago, everyone said that it was impossible to make children's films, that no one would go to children's films: show "Frost" on New Year's Eve and forget it. And then Cheburashka came out. Now the number of children's movies is such that if I had small children now, they would go every three months, even more often. On New Year's Eve, there are generally three or four options. But it is very important for us that any genre has this quality.
It is important for us to create a harmonious rental throughout the year. We need to learn how to make such a movie so that people want to go in the summer. Because after such a snowfall, if the sunny May days start now, people won't go to the movies — they'll go out of town. And that's really the problem. Because in the heat and in the summer, we have not yet learned how to make such films so that, no matter what, even at grandma's in the village, people still go to our cinemas.
— Now I think I know who the customer of the May snowfall is.
— No one asked for these snowfalls! Because a huge number of paintings are currently being shot. They probably had a plan that they were shooting this scene on some beautiful spring day, and they had snowdrifts everywhere. So it's definitely not the filmmakers who gave us this kind of weather.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
