Social concern: what was discussed at the Russian Creative Week in Moscow
For two days Gorky Park has become the main platform for conversations about the future of cinema, fashion, architecture, urbanism, gastronomy, music, literature and gaming. The seventh Russian Creative Week brought together more than 350 speakers from 25 countries, from the Middle East and Southeast Asia to Latin America and Africa. One of the central topics of the forum was the impact of culture on society. It was here that the rating of domestic films and TV series with the strongest social impact was traditionally presented. At the top are "Get on your Feet", "Lilies of the Valley-2" and "August". The results of the large—scale event can be found in the Izvestia article.
Why does the viewer choose social cinema
The rating was based not on the popularity of the paintings, but on their ability to change viewers' attitudes towards socially important topics. The drama "Getting back on your Feet" became the leader of the list. The top ten also included the second season of the acclaimed "Lilies of the Valley", the war dramas "August" and "Blood Type", the film about the quiet feat of Leningrad zoo workers "Beauty", the festival hit "Jura was Here", the melodramas "Hello to my Husband" and "Driving me crazy", as well as family paintings "On grandfather's village" and "Legends of our ancestors".
The study showed that 82% of respondents regularly watch Russian films and TV series, with more than half preferring domestic content. Viewers' perceptions of the public role of cinema are particularly revealing: 88% highly appreciate the level of Russian cinema, 75% believe that it strengthens ties with national culture, 73% say that cinema helps to better understand the country's history, and 68% admit that they feel proud after watching individual films.
According to the authors of the study, the Russian market is still divided between mass entertainment films with a wide audience and more serious films designed for a smaller audience. It is films that combine entertainment with meaningful conversation that experts call the main reserve for the development of the industry.
— Today we have already stopped talking about socially transformative content as a separate direction and contrasting it with the creative industry or the content production industry as a whole. We see that socially transformative content is becoming both the highest-grossing and the most watched. This is confirmed by such projects as "Lilies of the Valley", "Pinocchio" and many others. When a film raises important topics for the whole society and at the same time is made with talent, vividly and modernly, it finds a response in the hearts of millions of people. It is such projects that become truly spectator-friendly and successful," Svetlana Balanova, General Director of the National Media Group, told Izvestia.
Svetlana Balanova, CEO of NMG, at the VII Russian Creative Week Forum
Cinema is becoming a full-fledged participant in social processes today. Fedor Bondarchuk, director, producer, and General producer of NMG Studios, continued this idea at the plenary discussion. Modern authors are increasingly turning to problems that they themselves are experiencing. He said that almost every producer, director, and actor has children, including foster children or those with developmental disabilities. Bondarchuk himself is raising a daughter with cerebral palsy, so the topic of inclusion is also close to him. And it is this experience that they transfer to their cinema.
Director, producer, actor; General producer of the NMG Studio Fedor Bondarchuk during the session "Cinema as a tool for social change. A map of films and TV series with social impact"
As examples, the director cited the billion-dollar collections of "Attraction" and "Ice", as well as the record success of "Pinocchio". The numbers prove that the viewer is ready to talk about difficult topics if they are presented in a fascinating and talented way.
At the same time, the modern public no longer accepts straightforward didactics, says Alexey Goreslavsky, Director General of the Internet Development Institute.
"Our society is like a grown—up teenager who really doesn't like being manipulated,— he said.
Alexey Goreslavsky, Director General of the Institute for the Development of the Internet, at the plenary session "Creative Economy. Values that unite the world"
Goreslavsky stressed that the task of cinematographers has become much more complicated in recent years. Now it is necessary to create works that are simultaneously talented, artistically convincing and capable of influencing a person. That is why the future belongs to films that present the viewer with a difficult moral choice. As an example, the head of Iran demonstrated the first trailer for the film adaptation of the Strugatsky brothers' novel "It's Hard to be a God," calling the project an attempt to honestly talk about ethical issues without simple answers.
Export of valuables
The discussion about the social responsibility of cinema at the forum quickly turned to the international promotion of Russian content. The participants noted that family stories and films about basic human values are becoming especially in demand abroad. The best illustration of this thesis is the fairy tale "Pinocchio". The film not only became NMG's highest-grossing project, but was also sold to 53 countries, including the USA, Canada, Spain, and Switzerland. Bulgaria, Cyprus and Latin American countries.
— It seems to me that our traditional values are a very serious foundation, a kind of stable foundation that can be in demand in many countries of the world. Moreover, this process is already underway. A good example is the animated series Masha and the Bear. In Arab countries, the image of Masha in a headscarf has become recognizable and in many ways symbolic precisely because it corresponds to traditional ideas about the norms of behavior. At the same time, the heroine remains lively, mischievous, and direct: she constantly makes fun of the Bear, and it is this combination of familiar and new that arouses the audience's interest," Alexey Goreslavsky told Izvestia.
Today, the global audience is increasingly looking for stories about family, friendship, love and mutual assistance, since it is universal human values that are understandable regardless of national borders.
Also among the most anticipated projects are the Russian—Chinese film "Black Silk" and the Russian-Serbian "Alpine Ballad" based on Vasil Bykov.
What are the challenges facing the creative economy?
The state has recognized the creative sector and consolidated it by law. The formation of the framework of the creative economy is coming to an end and the industry will continue to develop faster, Denis Kravchenko, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, said at the plenary session of the Russian Creative Week.
The creation of a legislative framework is already showing tangible results: from 2024 to 2025, the volume of the creative economy grew by more than 750 billion rubles, and its share in GDP reached 4.2% last year, he said. It is expected to reach 7.2% by 2036.
Such a goal seems realistic, but its achievement is possible only with the consistent implementation of support measures, said Lidia Roy, director of the Center for Creative Economics at the Moscow School of Management Skolkovo. According to her, it is necessary to improve current legislation, ensure transparent state support mechanisms and tax incentives, as well as develop regulation in the field of AI, intellectual property and support for domestic software, video games and other fast-growing segments.
In addition, according to Alexander Shkarupa, brand director and founder of the Dynamics event agency, it is necessary to integrate the creative industries into regional development strategies, expand educational programs, develop infrastructure and ensure transparent accounting of the industry's contribution to the economy.
Now it is necessary to set up practical mechanisms for the application of new measures, but there are several barriers, Denis Kravchenko drew attention. Among the key tasks is to expand access to finance so that creative businesses can not only receive grants, but also attract private investment.
It is equally important to stimulate demand for creative industries from the government and large companies, as well as to train personnel taking into account the needs of the regions and improve statistics to better adjust support measures, the deputy explained.
Denis Kravchenko mentioned the creation of creative clusters, the development of an industry strategy and the launch of a federal project, as well as supporting demand for creative products and their exports as key solutions. According to him, it is now important to fill the law with real support mechanisms.
The forum also drew attention to another important topic for entrepreneurs — financial literacy. According to Dmitry Model, head of the Financial Literacy Directorate at the Ministry of Finance's NIFI, only about a quarter of business representatives have a high level of such knowledge, while almost a third demonstrate a low level.
It is possible to solve the problem of low financial literacy of entrepreneurs only through systematic work, says Ahmed Yusupov, an economist and partner at the Goldman and Po communications agency. He added: training should be applied and integrated into daily work, as well as complemented by digital services and mentoring programs where aspiring businessmen can learn from the experience of more experienced colleagues.
Participants at the plenary session "Creative Economy. Values Uniting the World" within the framework of the VII Russian Creative Week Festival-Forum
The forum program will continue on July 18. The agenda of the session includes how the labor market will change by 2030, how music paves the way for the unity of nations, and how sports shape the future of a person, who will dictate the style of the future, and what role AI plays in the video game industry.
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