VMPL

New Delhi [India], June 16: A group of prominent Indian actors, media figures, and screenwriters visited Moscow with support from the Moscow Film Cluster (Moskino). The delegation included actor and producer Boman Irani, Head of Jio Creative Labs Aditya Bhat, TV actress and influencer Ashnoor Kaur, creators Aarush Bhola and Varun Yadav, as well as the winners of the Spiral Bound screenwriting competition -- Rabiya Ghouse, Sumon Bose, and Rajinder Singh Puller. The guests visited key sites of the capital's film industry and met with Russian directors and screenwriters.

This interest from the Indian film industry reflects Moscow's broader transformation into an international production hub. Today, the Moscow Film Cluster is a developed ecosystem that not only supports Russian filmmakers, but also actively builds international cooperation. The cluster is developing with support from the Moscow Government: in March 2025, on the instructions of Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, a rebate program for foreign filmmakers was established, allowing international projects to reimburse up to 45% of their filming expenses in Moscow.

One of the main stops on the route was Moskino Film Park -- one of the world's largest outdoor filming complexes. Today, it features 36 themed sets, including a medieval castle, Soviet Moscow, a provincial European town, an airport, a railway station, and many others. This range of locations allows filmmakers to reduce shooting time by up to 30%, while Moscow confidently competes with the world's leading capitals in terms of the cost of a filming day.

TV actress and influencer Ashnoor Kaur, who has spent most of her life on film sets, admitted that she was impressed by the scale of the film park. She was especially struck by the practice of preserving sets after filming ends: 'I was surprised by how Moscow reuses film sets. I think it is an amazing idea -- when film production and tourism come together in such a unique way.'

Aditya Bhat, Head of Jio Creative Labs, shared a similar impression: 'What impressed me most was that the sets are turned into attractions -- they become part of the city's cultural and tourist identity.'

The second key stop was the XOVP virtual production studio. Based at the Moskino film factory, it has a portfolio of 19 series and 12 feature films shot using Virtual Production -- more than any other studio in the world. It is also home to Russia's largest permanent LED screen.

For the winners of the joint Spiral Bound and Moscow Film Cluster (Moskino) competition -- Rabiya Ghouse, Sumon Bose, and Rajinder Singh Puller -- the trip to Moscow became both the main prize and a professional immersion experience. They saw how Moscow's film production works from the inside, had the opportunity to meet Russian directors and screenwriters, and exchanged experience with colleagues from a completely different film school.

There is a deliberate logic behind this, as articulated by Georgy Prokopov, CEO of the Moscow Film Cluster (Moskino): 'Together with Boman Irani, we are developing the Spiral Bound initiative -- a community of more than 2,000 Indian screenwriters united by a shared goal: to tell big stories. The three winners of the competition came to Moscow to see the city from the inside -- its streets, Moskino Film Park, production infrastructure -- and to find material for their future work. We want Russia to enter the lives of these authors not as an abstract image, but as a real place with specific stories, people, and opportunities. This is how genuine international ties are built -- not through declarations, but through shared experience and a common creative language.'

Boman Irani left Moscow with concrete plans: 'I want to become an ambassador and tell Indian filmmakers, producers, and screenwriters about the production opportunities available in Russia. It is my duty.' He added: 'We can make films, hold masterclasses. And one day, we will make a film together.'

The delegation's visit fits into Moskino's work to develop international partnerships: over the past year alone, the film cluster has signed six cooperation agreements -- with India, Mexico, Brazil, Egypt, and Turkey. The visit by Indian filmmakers confirmed that interest in this cooperation is mutual.

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