Russian Foreign Quota

From the Moscow Times:
"Ministry Mulls Quotas on Foreign Films"

Foreign films could become a rare delicacy for movie lovers if the Culture Ministry approves proposals to impose quotas on such films in local theaters.  The quotas were at the center of discussions Wednesday in the Public Chamber in a follow-up to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's suggestion last month that such measures be considered as a way to resurrect a crumbling domestic film industry.  The proposals come amid the Kremlin's efforts to isolate the country from foreign influence and promote an ideology focused on traditional local values.  The country's recent entry into the World Trade Organization would not be a barrier to introducing foreign-film quotas or increasing state subsidies, said lawyer Lev Bardin. Many WTO members, including France and India, already have quotas on foreign films, so Russians would be able to argue against having a double standard on this issue. The Culture Ministry has looked into setting quotas for foreign films but has not made any decisions yet, Yelena Gromova, a deputy head of the ministry's film department, told The Moscow Times. The Culture Ministry is drafting a "road map" for reviving the local film industry. Some of the proposed measures include lowering ticket prices for domestic films, improving the electronic -ticket system and creating an expert council to oversee film festivals.

^ It seems that the Russian Government is rapidly trying to return to the dictatorship-days of the Soviet Union. Back in the USSR foreign movies from the West were banned while those from behind the Iron Curtain had to be in Russian. You would think that after 20+ years of relative freedom in Russia that the ordinary Russians as well as the Russian Government would work hard to improve their country while at the same time not isolating itself from the rest of the world. It seems that the trend is going backwards there rather than forwards and that's a shame since Russia has a lot to offer the world and vice versa. Hopefully, this movie quota will not be enacted since it would surely start at movies and then move to other fields as happened in the past. ^

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/ministry-mulls-quotas-on-foreign-films/469256.html