MINSK, 24 March (BelTA) - Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko visited the national film studio Belarusfilm on 24 march, BelTA has learned.
Roman Golovchenko got familiar with Belarusfilm's production capacities, toured the shooting pavilions, the pyrotechnic section, the military clothing warehouse and an armor hall. The prime minister also visited the editing, sound recording and synchronous noises rooms.
During a meeting on the status and prospects of the film industry in Belarus the prime minister urged to assess the status of the previous decisions, to discuss what should be done to help Belarusfilm ramp up film production. The prime minister recalled that about Br29 million has already been allocated from the national budget for film production.
"The film studio was one of the best in the Soviet Union. But there is no need to be nostalgic. The state is doing a lot to ensure that Belarusfim keep the bar high. The state support of the industry has been continuous. Back in 2017, when the reconstruction of the film studio was completed, the president urged the studio to produce results since all conditions were created. Today we will talk about the results," the prime minister stressed.
Roman Golovchenko noted that the head of state once again supported a proposal to provide further support to the domestic cinema and the film studio which found itself in a difficult position because of the pandemic as it posted a fall in export revenues.
"I would like to know when Belarusian audience might expect the result,namely a hit or a blockbuster, a box-office film that will not only demonstrate the talent and skills of Belarusian filmmakers but will also bring commercial benefits," the prime minister stressed.
After the meeting, Roman Golovchenko told reporters about the measures developed by the government to support the film studio. “These include provision of reimbursable financial assistance for current activities and subsidizing film production. Work on drafting the appropriate legal acts is already on the home stretch. Today we were considering ways to help the film studio return to profitability. A film studio is a commercial company manufacturing a product that should be profitable and in demand,” he noted.
