June 05, 2024

Make Fairy Tales, not War


Make Fairy Tales, not War
The Aurora movie theater, St. Petersburg. The Russian Life files

According to Russian independent outlet Agentsvo, the state Cinema Fund and the Ministry of Culture have spent over R1.7 billion ($18.8 million) on fairy tale films released in 2024. This is a record and surpasses government spending on war films to be released this year.

In the first five months of 2024, Russia has released three fairy tale films: “Bremenskie muzykanty”  ("The Bremen Town Musicians"), “Letuchy Korabl” ("The Flying Ship"), and the sci-fi “100 Let Tomu Vperyod” ("100 Years Ahead"). Additionally, three more state-funded fairy tale films will be released later this year: "Vasilisa," "Ognivo" (“The Tinderbox"), and “Samaya Bolshya Luna” ("The Biggest Moon"), with the Cinema Fund spending half a billion rubles on them. In total, R2.2 billion ($24.3 billion) has been allocated for all fairy tale films released or set to be released this year.

Spending on fairy tale films has been on the rise since 2015. That year, about R200 million ($2.2 million) was spent on the genre. The share of government spending on fairy tales grew from 5.3 percent in 2015 to 36.2 percent in 2024.

In contrast, the government has spent R1 billion ($11 million) on war films. This year, five war films have been released: three about World War II, one about the commander of the Alpha special squad, and one about the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine: “Pozyvnoy 'Passazhir'" ("Code Name: 'Passenger'").

One reason for the increased funding for fairy tale films may be their greater popularity. Fantasy films released this year have gotten 15.5 million views. “Bremenskie muzykanty” was the most popular, with 8.3 million views. “Letuchiy Korabl” and “100 Let Tomu Vpered” each attracted 3.7 million viewers.

In comparison, military films drew significantly fewer viewers, totaling about 2.5 million. The most popular war film was "Vozdukh” ("Air"), directed by Alexei German Jr., about Soviet female pilots during World War II, which had 1.5 million viewers. “Komandir” ("Commander") about the commander of the Alpha special unit, attracted 490,000 viewers, and “Pozivnoy ‘Passazhyr’," about a Moscow writer who went to the war in Donbas, had 420,000 viewers.

Films about the Russian war in Ukraine have not been popular. For instance, the 2023 film “Svidetel” ("Witness”), which depicts fictitious crimes by the Ukrainian military, was watched by less than 50,000 persons, with an average attendance of five people per showing.

You Might Also Like

Disability Numbers Soar
  • May 30, 2024

Disability Numbers Soar

Disability numbers have seen a drastic increase since the beginning of the war. 
New Leonardos at the Hermitage?
  • May 23, 2024

New Leonardos at the Hermitage?

An exhibit backed by a close associate of the Kremlin claims, erroneously, to show paintings newly attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955