Anton Malyshev: “Our investments in cinema are venture investments”

On October 5, the Mayak contemporary film festival, organized by the non-profit Kinoprime Foundation, started for the first time in Gelendzhik. This fund was established by Roman Abramovich in 2019. Anton Malyshev, who previously held a similar position at the Cinema Fund, a state support institute, became the executive director of Kinoprime.

And if the Cinema Fund participates in financing films aimed at a wide audience, Kinoprime is aimed at supporting auteur cinema and the art mainstream: ranging from the series “Karamora” and the upcoming blockbuster “The Master and Margarita” to the social thriller “Text” and drama “One little secret from the night.” In just five years of operation, the fund has supported more than 70 films for a total amount of more than 3 billion rubles.

In an interview with Vedomosti, Anton Malyshev spoke about the criteria for selecting projects that Kinoprime supports, why a “new” Kinotavr is impossible today, how the cancellation of Russian cinema at European festivals affected the economy of auteur films, and how the departure of Hollywood affected the domestic film industry.