Auteur cinema in Russia continues its struggle with mainstream cinema for the souls and hearts of viewers. We spoke with the film company A-One, which brings non-mainstream, often festival films. How do they select films, is it difficult to compete w...

Foreign auteur cinema is becoming increasingly in demand among mass audiences. This is largely due to the current problems with the distribution of hyped blockbusters in Russia, but overall this trend was observed earlier as well.

Auteur cinema long held the status of being elitist, not something everyone could understand. And against the backdrop of noisy action films with Tom Cruise or Vin Diesel, rom-coms with Sandra Bullock, superhero movies, the bloody 'Saw' or 'Halloween', the films of Luca Guadagnino, the horrors of Ari Aster, or even certain movies require additional effort to discern the subtext and understand the director. But in recent years, mainstream cinema has become mired in endless sequels, prequels, and reboots. One of the most striking examples is the Marvel universe, which has grown to incredible proportions.

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On one hand, it's a grand cinematic world, but on the other, the viewer begins to tire of the fact that to understand all the references and jokes in one film, they need to have watched several previous ones. Films have started to resemble TV series, where the ending is merely a promise of a future sequel. And this trend is happening with ordinary, non-superhero franchises too: 'Fast & Furious' has turned into a colorful spectacle, and 'Saw' into a demonstration of various ways to torture people.

All of this has played into the hands of auteur cinema, which continues to seek something new and unique. Amidst constant reboots and sequels, indie cinema feels like a breath of fresh air. And when the choice at movie theaters isn't that wide, these films attract even more interest.

In our country, there are several distributors that focus specifically on auteur films. One such film distribution company is A-One. We spoke with the A-One team and learned a bit about the nuances of their work.

1) How does the selection of foreign films for screening in Russia take place? Are there any requirements, conditions in your company?

Selection is based on two criteria: the commercial prospects of the project, and our own personal taste. The second is no less fundamental than the first. It's important for us to love the films we release. We have very close work and connection with each release.

2) How difficult is it to promote foreign films in Russia if they are not well-known blockbusters from studios like Disney?

It's not so much difficult as it is interesting. We have to work a bit harder than the majors, of course, since we don't have enormous budgets for film releases. Big studios typically spend millions of rubles on just outdoor and television advertising — and that's understandable, for any blockbuster it's important that as many people as possible know about it.

Our approach is more targeted, aimed at a specific audience, so the indiscriminate use of outdoor and TV advertising doesn't suit us. We try to collaborate with cool venues, media, and channels where our target audience is. It's a more painstaking, but at the same time the most suitable promotion strategy for our films. For each release, we try to find our own approach, which can differ dramatically from what we've done before. It's not easy, but it's always exciting. 

3) For what period are the rights to screen a film usually purchased?

For several years. During this time, we can manage the film — give it a full theatrical release, sell it to streaming services and TV. Or offer the film to places far from cinema. For example, recently, the restaurant segment has been increasingly interested in our films. 

4) You distribute not mainstream, but often festival auteur cinema. How willing are cinemas to allocate screenings for it?

Obviously, cinemas (particularly multiplexes) are more willing and generous in scheduling a big film aimed at a million-strong audience. Nevertheless, any cinema understands that auteur cinema has its own audience. Even in chain cinemas, which are primarily oriented towards family viewing of big films, there are always a couple of screenings for a small indie film, which can perfectly work those two screenings over a long period, earning a better per-screen average than a conditional blockbuster competitor. 

We should also not forget about cinemas that stand apart, outside the multiplexes. For them, quality is more important than quantity. They understand that people come to them not only for the film but also for a certain atmosphere and, most importantly, for a certain repertoire. Therefore, the work on the schedule there is more painstaking and more favorable towards auteur projects. Such cinemas have a curatorial approach to scheduling. And that's wonderful.

5) Can Indian, Korean, or Asian films be considered an alternative to Hollywood films in Russia?

Korean, Indian, and any other cinema from different countries can and should be shown here. But they cannot be considered a full-fledged replacement for Hollywood. Our audiences have been raised on Hollywood standards for many years. It's impossible to completely switch to blockbusters from other countries and forget what came before. Plus, everyone has the internet, which in one way or another allows them to watch what Hollywood produces, so American blockbusters cannot be driven out of viewers' minds. Comparisons will always be unfavorable to budget versions from other countries, no matter how worthy their films may be.

We asked the A-One team to name one or several memorable releases they have distributed in Russia. And as a result, we got a small list with interesting recommendations.

Vasilisa, PR — 'C'mon C'mon'

A kind story about the relationship between adults and children, directed by Oscar nominee Mike Mills.

I really liked the film even during my first viewing in the cinema long before the release. Then we conducted an interview with the director for 'Iskusstvo Kino', and I was so impressed by Mike Mills' charisma and openness that I fell in love with the film even more. Furthermore, in 'C'mon C'mon', Joaquin Phoenix, who played the lead role, revealed himself to me from a completely new side, and he absolutely became one of my favorite actors.

Another reason why I love this film is that for the release, we came up with a very cool special project together with VKontakte, 'C'mon C'mon: blah-blah-blah about the important' — a short film in which the children of our friendly influencers answered questions from Joaquin Phoenix from 'C'mon C'mon', and the adults talked about what their children taught them. 

Vika, Creative Producer — 'Love, Antosha'

A touching documentary about the young talented actor Anton Yelchin, who passed away too soon. 

In the film, Anton is talked about by his wonderful parents, friends, other actors and directors, for example: Willem Dafoe, Kristen Stewart, J.J. Abrams, and many others. Even though the film didn't earn much at the Russian box office, it became one of my favorite projects. The team and I were very moved by the story and did various beautiful things, for example, together with artist Ulyana Poloz, we made a beautiful temporary art portrait of Anton in the center of St. Petersburg.

But perhaps the main reason I will remember this project is my personal meeting with Anton's family in Rome. His parents invited us to the capital of Italy, where an exhibition of photographs taken by Anton was taking place. So I visited the most beautiful city in the world and met the actor's wonderful parents, and this meeting will always be in my heart.

Seva, Content Manager — 'Basic Instinct'

When my grandchildren ask me what I am especially proud of in my life, I will answer that once their grandfather was involved in the release of the great Paul Verhoeven's film 'Basic Instinct' in Russian theaters, which had never been released in domestic cinemas before. 

I will tell them about my childhood delight associated with my love for this film, how I was envious in a good way of all those who watched 'Basic Instinct' for the first time and immediately on the big screen, and also how we were once again convinced that cinema is still just as daring, sexy, and insanely funny. And then I'll show the kids 'Basic Instinct'.

Kristina, SMM — 'Summer of 85'

I tenderly love François Ozon's 'Summer of 85', which we released in October 2020. It was our first big post-COVID release, when cinemas reopened not only in Moscow but also in St. Petersburg and other cities. After the summer lockdown, it was especially pleasant to watch the carefree (for the time being) summer of boys in 80s France on the big screen.

Ozon combined in one film a melodrama about first love, a romantic coming-of-age story, a dark drama about death, and a psychological detective story. The lead roles are played by rising French stars Félix Lefebvre and Benjamin Voisin.

Ksyusha, Brand Manager — 'La Haine'

'La Haine' by Mathieu Kassovitz is one of my favorite films. I almost burst with excitement when I found out that we would be showing the film on the big screen in Russia for the first time. 

Now imagine how much motivation there was in working on this release: we made very beautiful merch with Omanko, recorded a cool video podcast with journalist Maxim Zagovora (recognized as a foreign agent) and co-founder of the 'Yasno' service Danila Antonovsky, created art at Sevkabel in St. Petersburg with artist Ulyana Poloz, and held many excellent special screenings. 

Too bad you weren't with us, but if you see screenings of 'La Haine' in a cinema — urgently buy a ticket, you'll thank me later!

Auteur cinema is like a good book — it will always have its admirer who, among thousands of bestsellers and blockbusters, will prefer to spend time in a heartfelt conversation without the unnecessary husk of mass appeal and popularity. Here, instead of a multitude of special effects, there will be melancholic bus rides by Adam Driver in 'Paterson', or the main character will be an eco-activist child from 'This New World', rather than an aging Arnold Schwarzenegger in another sequel of 'Terminator' or 'The Expendables'. So we can only wait for new interesting surprises from A-One, who, by the way, will soon show in Russia the winner of Cannes 2022 — 'Triangle of Sadness' by Ruben Östlund.

P.S. Currently, A-One is showing in Russia a participant of the Berlin International Film Festival 2020 — 'First Cow'. This is a touching story about two migrants during the conquest of America, who try to start a business, and their main companion and source of profit turns out to be a cow.

Photo on the main page: Ksenia Ugolnikova