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Belarus expands film cooperation with India
An archive photo
Belarus is expanding its horizons in the world of cinema, moving away from a focus on Hollywood blockbusters and opening its doors to filmmakers from around the globe. The country is actively developing partnerships with various nations, and one striking example of this commitment to cultural diversity is cooperation with India. Recently, Indian representatives have signed a cooperation agreement with Belarusian filmmakers. BelTA spoke with Vladimir Karachevsky, Director General of the Minsk City Hall’s Kinovideoprokat enterprise, to learn about the joint projects they plan to implement in the future.
“Our country has been actively developing relations with India throughout all the years of independence. We know Indian political and cultural figures, we use fabrics, beverages, and medicines produced in that country. Belarusian enterprises actively cooperate with India across various sectors, including culture. I can note that in recent years, Indian filmmakers have developed a particular interest in Belarus,” said Vladimir Karachevsky.
According to him, they always come to Belarus with great enthusiasm, as they want to showcase their films in our distribution network and utilize the production facilities of Belarusian film companies, particularly Belarusfilm. Even before the pandemic, in 2018-2019, an Indian film company actively shot the film Squad in Belarus, and after the pandemic, the Minsk International Film Festival Listapad resumed its activities, with Indian filmmakers participating each year both as contestants and as honored guests and jury members.
“Minsk City Hall’s Kinovideoprokat does not overlook Indian cinema. Our network includes the Berestie cinema, which specializes in screening Indian films. Attendees include both cinema enthusiasts and students from the medical university located near the cinema. They watch films in the original language and in English,” Vladimir Karachevsky explained.
Cooperation is also actively developing with distributors based in the Russian Federation who supply Indian films to both Russia and other Russian-speaking markets. Thus, although in small volumes, Indian cinema can be seen in the capital’s cinemas. India produces a huge number of films not only in Bollywood but also in other studios that we may not be familiar with, so the Indian side is looking for opportunities for cooperation in both film production and distribution. Belarusians, in turn, are interested in expanding the range of films and having Belarusian cinema appear in the Indian film market on a reciprocal basis.
Currently, Kinovideoprokat and the Belarusfilm studio are considering the possibility of cooperation with Indian filmmakers in several areas, including the possibility of creating films with the assistance of the Belarusian studio and joint productions on shared themes. Indian filmmakers have also expressed interest in Belarusian filming locations.
“We discussed the terms and timing for screening their films in our cinemas, introduced them to the work of our national film studio, and explored its capabilities. Overall, our guests came away with a favorable impression of our country. We also signed a cooperation agreement. It was proposed that the Indian side select and present films for our consideration, and we would assess whether they have potential for screening in our country. Only after that will we sign distribution contracts, schedule the number of screenings, and establish business relationships,” Vladimir Karachevsky explained.
According to him, during the meeting a proposal was made to launch a project called Namaste Belarus. Hello, India under which new releases and works by young directors would be screened on a regular basis. This would also allow Belarus to make forecasts regarding the potential success of Indian releases in our country, as local film distribution professionals have a better understanding of the prospects for popularity of various international films.
“For example, we know not only films like Disco Dancer and Zita and Gita, but also other films that have appeared recently on various platforms: Baahubali: The Beginning, RRR. I hope that from time to time both good commercial, spectacular cinema and art-house films will appear on screens in our country, and that such meetings and agreements will help develop partnerships and enable us to obtain more accurate information from those who wish to cooperate with Belarus on a long-term basis,” the director general said.
He added that Belarus is interested not only in traditional Hollywood blockbusters, Russian, Belarusian, and European cinema. Local audiences are also interested in films from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and South America. Japanese anime, South Korean dramas, and Turkish films are also in demand.
“China produces over a thousand films a year, and I am absolutely certain that they could very well enter the Belarusian film market. We have Chinese partners, and a new Chinese film will be released in the autumn - there has already been a positive experience with the wide releases of Ne Zha and Dead to Rights in Minsk. We will continue to develop relations with partners - film producers from major countries - and this will give our audiences the opportunity to see cinema in new colors,” Vladimir Karachevsky concluded.
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