VMPL

New Delhi [India], August 21: The Third Moscow International Film Week will take place in Moscow from August 24 to 30. The event will bring together professional, international and public programs, presenting Moscow as one of the significant centers of contemporary film production. More than 200 film industry representatives from 19 countries, including India, China, the UAE, Brazil and others, will take part.

The business program of the Third Moscow International Film Week will run over two days at the Moskino film factory. The venue will bring together film industry representatives, production companies, platforms, distributors, film commissions, technology teams, writers and young professionals.

Participants will discuss the key topics shaping the film industry today: project production and financing, film distribution economics, international distribution, co-production, festival strategies, release planning, copyright and new models of content promotion.

Cooperation with India will be an important area of the international agenda. India produces more films than any other country in the world, while Russia and India are connected by half a century of shared audience experience -- and today this interest is returning to film sets. The Indian film industry will be represented in the business program of Moscow International Film Week by actors, directors, producers, representatives of professional associations and major production facilities.

At the discussion 'From Bollywood to Moscow: How Industries Meet in One Frame,' participants will discuss what it is like in practice to work in another country, under different rules and in a different production rhythm: what brings film crews to Moscow, how the city works on screen for international audiences, and how Russian actors and locations become part of international projects. The session will also cover working with international casts and crews, which stories and genres can resonate with several audiences at once, and what helps a film enter a new market. Participants are expected to include Bhuvan Lall, documentary filmmaker, creative entrepreneur and author, Lall Entertainment; Pan Nalin, director and producer, author of Samsara, Angry Indian Goddesses and Chhello Show, which was shortlisted for the Oscars; Resul Pookutty, cinematographer and sound designer, Academy Award winner for Slumdog Millionaire; and Deepak Tijori, actor, director and producer (Yeh Aashiqui Meri, Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin, Baadshah).

The topic of co-production will continue at the session 'Film Cities: From Ecosystem to Co-Production.' Participants will discuss how to launch joint projects when there is no official intergovernmental agreement between countries, and what role urban film ecosystems can play in this process. The Indian industry will be represented at the session by Shibasish Sarkar, President of the Producers Guild of India.

A practical example of Russian-Indian cooperation is the project launched following the previous Moscow International Film Week. Moscow-based Smena Film Company signed an agreement with India's Kartina Entertainment And Sports Private Limited to co-produce Smash, a feature film about badminton. The project became an example of how the Film Week platform can lead to real international production agreements.

In November 2025, following the second International Forum 'Culture. Media. Digital,' Moskino also signed a partnership agreement with Jio Creative Labs, one of India's largest creative agencies. The parties plan to implement joint projects that will open up new opportunities for filmmakers and creative entrepreneurs. In addition, in 2026, the Moscow film cluster signed a cooperation agreement with partners from Mumbai -- the Maharashtra Film, Stage and Cultural Development Corporation, which oversees the work of the major Film City studio complex. The agreement provides for cultural exchange, joint development of support measures for filmmakers, festivals and other industry events, as well as mutual promotion at the international level.

Another factor strengthening Moscow's appeal for international projects is its rebate system, which compensates part of the expenses incurred while filming in the capital. In 2025, Moscow introduced international rebates for the first time, offering up to 50 million rubles per project, while the first applications for this support were submitted during Film Week.

The Third Moscow International Film Week will retain the format of an open citywide event. Moscow residents and visitors will be able to attend film screenings, special programs, creative meetings, autograph sessions, short tours, family formats and other events at city venues. One of the notable projects will be Moscow's Cinema Truck -- a mobile open-air cinema. This year, it will travel across the city for seven days and cover seven locations, with more than 20 film screenings planned.

The Second Moscow International Film Week was held in Moscow from August 23 to 27, 2025. Over five days, more than 200 events took place at city venues, drawing a total audience of more than 700,000 people. The business program brought together more than 150 speakers from 20 countries. Following the event, cooperation agreements were signed with Egypt, Mexico, Brazil and Turkey, and the first applications were submitted for rebates partially compensating the costs of international projects created in Moscow.

Moscow International Film Week is organized by the Moscow Department of Culture and Moskino.

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