Bondarchuk became an influential director after directing only three films. What is the secret to a brilliant career?

A fine summer morning. A tanned man in a T-shirt is mowing a field with a lawnmower next to a cinema complex under construction on Novorizhskoe Highway. He turns off the engine and looks around. It is impossible not to recognize him - this is Fyodor Bondarchuk, actor, director and producer. He worked as a mower “for the camera,” but in reality he loves cutting grass. “The lawn is one hundred percent meditation,” explains Bondarchuk.

Nowadays, few people remember that in the early 2000s he made only video clips. Now Bondarchuk is building the Glavkino complex on shares with billionaire Nikolai Tsvetkov, owner of the Uralsib corporation. VTB Bank gives the director 600 million rubles for the film “Stalingrad”. “We were in all the offices of officials where the word “culture” was written,” says Eduard Pichugin, co-founder of the Kinoshiti cinema chain (Bondarchuk is his partner). “And we received support everywhere.”

Bondarchuk is now so close to the powers that be that he is called the new Mikhalkov. But director Sergei Selyanov, head of the STV film company, assures: “I have never seen Fedya call someone and immediately send him as much money as he needs...”. How did the music video director turn into one of the most prominent figures in the Russian film industry?

Fedor says that as a child he was embarrassed by his famous surname, unlike his peers from families of actors and directors. The son of multiple state prize winner Sergei Bondarchuk, he did poorly at school and was drawn to the “wrong” companies. “Memories from my father’s first role in Boris Godunov are monstrous, on the verge of losing consciousness from fear and responsibility,” says Bondarchuk.

VGIK miraculously removed all the complexes. Fedor graduated from the institute when the Soviet Union disappeared. In 1991, he, together with Stepan Mikhalkov, created one of the country's first private companies for the production of video clips - Art Pictures. She made videos for “Moral Code” and Natalia Vetlitskaya, Alla Pugacheva and Vlad Stashevsky. Work in the small genre lasted for a decade and a half. It seemed that it would always be like this - orders for music videos and commercials did not dry out.

Bondarchuk Jr. was invited to films - by the mid-2000s he starred in a dozen films. And in the winter of 2005 he surprised everyone. In many cinemas across the country, before showing American blockbusters, they showed the announcement of the film “The Ninth Company” directed by Bondarchuk.

It became known only later that the path leading to the debut was thorny. According to producer Dmitry Rudovsky, with whom Bondarchuk created the film company Art Pictures Studio, no one wanted to give money for The Ninth Company. Why film about Afghanistan when Chechnya is on everyone’s lips? Bondarchuk took out a loan secured by an apartment and borrowed from friends. There was still not enough money, and due to problems with financing, the film crew went on strike.

Everything changed thanks to meeting the general director of STS-Media, Alexander Rodnyansky. Bondarchuk hosted the TV show “The Armchair” on the STS channel and once came to Rodnyansky with the script for “The Ninth Company.” The experienced producer agreed to help - he liked how clearly the novice director explained how to turn an idea into a product.

The head of STS-Media contacted his friend, the commercial director of the Gemini company, Hans-Bodo Muller, showed him the trailer for Rota, and he promised that he would rent the film. In addition, Rodnyansky (a native of Ukraine, creator of the “1+1” TV channel) turned to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense for help, and Ukrainian military and army equipment took part in the filming of “The Ninth Company” in Crimea. But most importantly, the general director of STS-Media raised money to complete the film - his own, STS and 1+1. This contribution amounted to 25% of the final budget of $9.5 million.

The picture took off. The total box office gross was $27 million. Konstantin Ernst, who had once refused Bondarchuk (the director offered Channel One to participate in the filming), now congratulated him on his successful debut. “Fedor has been preparing to enter the feature film space for a long time,” says Sergei Selyanov. “I took in a lot of air and immediately dived deep.”

Bondarchuk's second film project turned out to be, if not as bright, then more profitable. The film “Heat,” released in 2006, with a budget of $2 million, grossed $16.5 million. In a short time, Art Pictures Studio became a select group of distribution companies. “They are ready to make an advance payment for the film to a few directors and producers in our country - Timur Bekmambetov, Renat Davletyarov, Konstantin Ernst and us,” says Bondarchuk proudly.

Prepayment is several hundred thousand or millions of dollars, depending on the scale of the project. It is unknown how much Bondarchuk received from distributors for his biggest film, but it failed at the box office. The two-part “Inhabited Island,” which cost $36 million, grossed $28 million.

The first part of “The Island” was released at the end of 2008, the second – six months later. Art Pictures managed to pay off its debts to banks, but is still paying off businessman Eduard Shifrin, one of the main investors in the film. Bondarchuk was introduced to him by the same Rodnyansky. Shifrin, a co-owner of the Midland Group (metallurgy, shipping, real estate), gave $12 million for “Inhabited Island.” Art Pictures, according to Rudovsky’s forecasts, will need another year or two to pay him back. “The Island” will be released in the United States this fall. All proceeds from the show, whatever they are, will go towards paying off the debt.

After “The Inhabited Island” I almost died,” Fyodor Bondarchuk winces, remembering the filming and the problems that arose later. But difficulties did not prevent him from participating in a new business. In the summer of 2009, he became a co-owner of the Kinosity Management company, founded by the former managing partner of the Kronverk Cinema network, Eduard Pichugin. Pichugin planned to create a federal network of digital cinemas. Why did he need a seemingly penniless director? “We have similar energy. We both like innovative projects,” explains the entrepreneur. But, as they say, a good guy is not a profession. In April 2009, Bondarchuk joined United Russia, and in November he joined its Supreme Council. As soon as he became Pichugin’s partner, Kinoshiti became interested in the party in power. It is possible that Bondarchuk’s friendship with United Russia ideologist Vladislav Surkov also plays a role here. According to the director, they met eight years ago at Vanilla (a restaurant owned by Bondarchuk).

In May 2010, United Russia announced the Cinema Club project - the opening of cultural centers with multimedia cinema halls throughout the country. The project coordinator was Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov, the leader was Eduard Pichugin, and the chairman of the public council was Fyodor Bondarchuk. According to Pichugin, since then many issues have been resolved “effectively and constructively.”

If Bondarchuk Jr. once had to go around, ask, and persuade, now doors are opening for him. “It’s enough for Fedor to call and joke a few times, and anyone will accept him,” says Rodnyansky. “When he accepts it, consider that he has charmed him.”

“Kinoclub”, being just a party document, became a lobbying resource for “Kinosity”. Before the advent of the United Russia program, Pichugin had only one cinema; now he has eight. From the news: “The head of the Kinoshiti group of companies and the head of the Kinoclub project, Eduard Pichugin, signed an agreement with the Ind-Garnik company on the construction of a modern cinema center in Tula”; “In Astrakhan, the head of the Cinema Club project, Eduard Pichugin, and the governor of the Astrakhan region, Alexander Zhilkin, signed an agreement on the modernization of the regional film exhibition infrastructure...”

The cost of one Kinoshiti is approximately $7.5 million. The very first cinema of the chain, opened in Novosibirsk, generates 20 million rubles in revenue per month.

For cinemas with a potential profitability of 20% or more, the company of Pichugin and Bondarchuk takes out loans from commercial banks. If the project promises less than 20%, it turns to state banks for help. Pichugin says that Sberbank and VEB can give a lower loan rate. The company invites builders to become co-investors in exchange for a 25% stake in the property. But if the payback period for the cinema is not clear, it is built at public expense, and Kinoshiti, as the organizer of the process, receives a 26% stake in the facility.

“As Vladimir Putin said, you can perceive the party not only as a springboard for a political career, but also as a tool,” Bondarchuk’s voice shows harshness. “So I perceive it as a tool.” For “Kinoshiti” first of all.” Accusations of political bias do not seem to bother him at all. As well as criticism about “The Island”. The director says that he read in an old interview with his father: “It’s better to be an elephant with flaws than a perfect mouse.” He really liked these words.

In the spring of 2009, Bondarchuk announced that he would make “Stalingrad”. Then Art Pictures began negotiations with VTB. In June of this year, the investment agreement was signed. The bank agreed to lend him 600 million rubles - half of the planned expenses - in exchange for half of the proceeds from the sale of copyrights. 30% of the Stalingrad budget will be covered by government subsidies. True, Bondarchuk will have to give 5% of the proceeds to the state Cinematography Support Fund. According to Dmitry Rudovsky, film distributors are already in line - Art Pictures has about a hundred applications from foreign distributors.

Filming of “Stalingrad” is scheduled to begin in August of this year, with a premiere scheduled for fall 2012. By that time, the Kinoshiti network should expand to 30 cinemas. “Of course, these are not cinemas named after Fyodor Bondarchuk,” assures Eduard Pichugin. “But if the opportunity arises to stage more Art Pictures films, we, of course, will not refuse.”

Fedor Bondarchuk. Party Favorite