Why Russian Cinemas Left UNIC Amid Industry Collapse

16.06.2022 - 18:53 / variety.com

Ukraine begin to bite.In a move that helps Russian exhibitors save face and avoid expulsion from a major global industry body, the Russian Association of Cinema Owners (RACO) said it had submitted an application to “exit UNIC.” It comes after Hollywood majors exited the Russian market following President Vladimir Putin’s decision late February to invade Ukraine, turning Russia into an international pariah state. The move broadens Russia’s isolation from the rest of the world at a time when its domestic cinema is facing near total collapse.

Roman Isayev, head of the Russian office of Comscore, a UNIC member, told local news agency Interfax that the decision to leave voluntarily followed suggestions that RACO may be expelled.Although the move had largely symbolic meaning — RACO joined UNIC in 2019 and UNIC membership offered Russian exhibitors a higher international status — Pavel Ponikarovksy of RACO told Variety that, “when Hollywood majors cuts ties with Russia, it was no longer clear if remaining in UNIC made any sense.”The move comes as Russian exhibitors and filmmakers face the most serious threat to their survival since the chaos the sector experienced in the 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union.Oleg Sulkin, a film critic with Voice of America’s Russian Service, told Variety that the “double impact” of COVID followed swiftly by the war on Ukraine and Western sanctions, “could have mortal consequences for the industry.” The loss of Hollywood movies — which represented around 70% of all feature releases in Russia — and Netflix, spells disaster for the domestic industry.“The plan to replace the overseas stuff with the local products and European imports is next to utopian,” Sulkin said. “The most realistic