St. Petersburg film studio to focus on films about past Russian heroes and war in Ukraine

Following a change of ownership, the historic Lenfilm studio in Russia’s second city St. Petersburg is to focus on creating patriotic and historical cinema dedicated to “heroes of bygone times and the special military operation”, the St. Petersburg city administration announced on Tuesday.

The announcement comes after Vladimir Putin lent his support to an initiative by veterans in the city to transfer ownership of the film studio to the city. Lenfilm, which was founded in 1914, was previously a corporation with its stakes shared between individual investors and several privately owned film studios. The studio announced on its website on Tuesday that it would be “returning home”.

The studios have been used to film a number of Soviet and Russian classics as well as international films with an overseas cast. Some of its better-known works include Chapaev, a civil war film from the 1930s, Peculiarities of the National Hunt, a 1995 comedy, and a 1997 American production of Anna Karenina, starring Sophie Marceau and Sean Bean.

Russia’s Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova and St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov handed the veterans’ initiative for the change of ownership to Putin, according to the press release.

“Today, topics such as patriotism, love for the Motherland, civic duty, and an attentive attitude to the history of our country are increasingly common in ... books, exhibitions, and music,” Lyubimova said, adding that they were “most in demand in cinema, where they can be displayed most vividly and on a large scale, and immediately gain a wide audience.”