Face to Europe. East

MMKF cannot find his face in any way

In Moscow, the 32nd Moscow International Film Festival was opened. The impression of his program is dual. Why - analyzed The New Times
The MMKF competitive and out -of -competition programs have different problems. The share of optimism causes the fact that this year, these problems, at least, can be formulated exactly without bringing claims to the festival only to general (but, alas, fair) conclusions: that he does not have a person, a verified cultural policy and he still does not play any role in world film business or in the development of cinema.

To the west through the euro-east
The MMKF competitive program, of course, cannot compete with Berlin or Cannes, but still began to resemble the average and strong programs of other film forums. Last year, worthy paintings also came across in the competition program. For example, the Israeli tape “Fire Fire”, which demonstrated a desperately bold look at the problem of the consequences of the Holocaust, about how psychological injuries were transmitted to the next generation. However, there was a feeling that the MMKF itself did not give a damn about everything “not our cinema”: the official program, which included as many as three domestic paintings, turned into a between the manner, especially since all of ours and the main prizes were awarded. It seemed that the main goal of the MMKF was to approve the general, aesthetically conservative line of development of domestic cinema.

Spectators and guests at the opening of the MMKF in the cinema "Pushkinsky"

This year, the competition has only one native film - the game debut of documentary Yuri Schiller "Sparrow". But more than half of the competitive films - from Eastern Europe. Moreover, four of them (German, Czech, Polish and Hungarian) are immersed in a sick socialist history.
The course is reasonable. It has long been a long time ago to the author of these lines that one of the ways for the MMKF finally find a face is to become a bridgehead (we are talking, we repeat, only about the competitive program) for the development of post-Soviet and Eastern European cinema. And at the same time - to discuss cultural and political post -Soviet conflicts. No need to try to compete with giants: Cannes, Venice, Berlin and Toronto - this is hopeless. But to try to take a place in the unofficial festival hierarchy after them, to become one of the festivals of the “Middle Circle” (like festivals in Rotterdam, Locarno or Karlovy Vary) - real. But for this it is necessary to offer a movie world what others do not offer. Only then will the leading world critics come to the MMKF, who are not yet needed. Yes, let them want to come from the former social storage - and that is enough!
But, unfortunately, nothing is clear with MMKF. It is not clear whether its current orientation to Eastern Europe is programmatic or random and one -time. It is not clear whether the initiative is lost, because the closest rival of the MMKF, a more slender festival in Karlovy Vary, has long been playing on the same East European Kinopol.

More a side dish

The MMKF out-of-competition program was almost perfect in 2010. That's where the selectors got stitched! The program is well structured. It is designed for both moviegoers and those who are concerned about social conflicts. Yes, at the first -row festivals, an out -of -competition program is only a side dish to the main dish, but since the MMKF is not interesting for professionals, then let him focus on the public. Let the side dish be the main dish here.
For more than a year, the documentary “free thought” can be considered the nail of the out -of -competition program. She collects paintings that will not go on our rental, awarded the most prestigious awards and really interesting. From the films of this year, we note the “Oscar” “Bay” - about the secret and barbaric extermination of the Japanese dolphins; "Banans" - about the pesticide villainy of banana corporations; “Crazy life” - about the youth gangs of Salvador; “Fortress” - about refugees from the third world, arranged in Switzerland; “Restrepo” is about one of the most dangerous American bases in Afghanistan. "

One way for MMKF finally find a face-

This is a bridgehead for the development of the post -Soviet

and East European cinema

“Other chitly programs of the current MMKF:“ Asian extreme ”,“ 8 1/2 films ”,“ sex. Food. Culture. Glory ”,“ Atelier ”(in this program, new paintings are attracted to the crazy geniuses of the directing, one acting-Henri-Zhorzha Kluzo and David Lynch),“ Socialist avant-garde. Part 3 ”,“ Moscow Euphoria-the choice of fibers. Mizgirev, Proshkin, Voloshin, Buslov, Serebrennikov, Shagalov and Khomeriki - they chose and represent at the festival one of their favorite pictures).
But in the end - another problem. If you focus on the viewer, so let him in the sessions. It was not there. In Rotterdam, Berlin, Locarno, Toronto, who are famous for their audience, dozens of huge halls are at its service. The MMKF is concentrated in one single multiplex "October", as if it are not a category "A" festival, but a private event. In Pushkinsky - only the opening and closing ceremony. In "Artistic" - shows only for the press. In October, there is only one giant hall with 1518 seats (but it basically contains competitive shows that just do not cause mass enthusiasm) and one relatively large 319. The rest of the halls are much less.
Why does the MMKF do not expand and even vice versa: from it, compared to 2009, the “Cinema Center on Presnya” fell off? Probably because when everything is in one place, the organizers have less headache. The smaller the halls, the more alloys that can be reported in front of the television cameras. Of course you have a full house. Of course, in the films of “Free Thought” the audience sits on the steps, because the program was given only to the October room No. 5, in which there are only 198 places, and some films are shown once. Yes, the MMKF is no longer a Ponaroshka festival, as it was recently. But this is still not a full-fledged festival.