Fur flies: Russian film watchdogs have a problem with ‘Paddington 2’ – it’s too popular
A very British bear has found itself stuck in the middle of a Russian battle between public entertainment and limiting foreign influence.
The day before the animated family film Paddington 2 was scheduled to debut in cinemas, Russia’s Ministry of Culture postponed the release from January 18 to February 1, sparking backlash from the country’s Association of Cinema Owners. In a Facebook statement on Wednesday, the organisation called the decision to delay Paddington 2 a “gross interference” by the government, and the Ministry of Culture ultimately relented with the film opening in theatres Saturday.
But the incident illustrated Russia’s ongoing initiative to prop up its own film industry, one where nine of 10 films are government-funded and often cast Russia in a positive light. The cinema is just one domain where the modern Russian system walks a fine line of sheltering citizens from Western ideals that may not agree with President Vladimir Putin’s view of the world and Russia’s role in it.
A law allows the Ministry of Culture to bump foreign films, such as Paddington 2, if their release dates coincide with that of a locally produced film. The rule was enacted two years ago. At the time, culture minister Vladimir Medinsky seemed to make a veiled threat regarding the content of Russian cinema.
In 2015, Andrei Zvyagintsev’s Leviathan, a movie about Russia produced by Russians, had its release date postponed by the Ministry of Culture even as it was a hit at international film festivals and won a Golden Globe for best foreign-language film. The bleak tale of a man’s battle with a corrupt local bureaucrat was criticised as anti-Russian and undermining Putin. In response, Russia outlawed movies “defiling the national culture, posing a threat to national unity and undermining the foundations of the constitutional order.” The Ministry of Culture ultimately reversed its course on that legislation, and public curiosity led to the film’s wide release in Russia.
Medinsky said at the time that the characters, shown taking swigs of vodka, “are not Russians,” and that films “filled with a sense of despair and hopelessness over our existence, should not be financed with taxpayers’ money.” Russia banned swearing in arts and media in 2014, which meant that a sanitised version of the film ran in theatres.