The entrance of the Russian Film Market as a new ECFA member didn’t go unnoticed. The official signing of the membership contract took place during an industry event, in which several ECFA members were invited to convince Russian film professionals about the importance of children’s film production and distribution.
It was in a ceremonial atmosphere that signatures were put under a membership document that should reanimate the moribund Russian children’s film industry. Ekaterina Bordacheva, the driving force behind the Russian young audience film movement, believes that through gathering extra attention for the genre, she might revive the ambitions of Russian stakeholders. In an industry session during the Bridge of Arts Film Festival in Rostov-on-Don, she invited ECFA Board member Marketa Pasmova (co-signing the document, see picture), festival manager Michael Harbauer and distributor Gert Hermans to address the professionals, convincing them that there’s a future in children’s film for those who are willing to invest the extra effort. Bridge of Arts is – what in Russia is called – a ‘Motivational Festival’, striving to inspire people. Festival programmer Inina Kosljakova was called in for the solemn signing of the documents.
In the upcoming ECFA Journal you’ll find an interview with Ekaterina Bordacheva about the position of children’s film in the Russian film industry today.