Film critics announce plans for St Petersburg movie museum

A leading Russian film magazine has announced plans to open a museum of cinema and movie library in St Petersburg. Speaking at a conference at the International Cultural Forum in St Petersburg this week, the editorial team behind Seance said the museum would focus on the films produced by Lenfilm Studio, the city’s foremost production company. Founded in 1918, Lenfilm is one of Russia’s largest studios and is best known for such films as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes & Dr Watston (1979 to 1986) and Peter the First (1937) about the Russo-Swedish war in the 16th century.

The team involved in the cinema museum project includes a number of high-profile figures including animator Yuri Norstein, of Hedgehog in the Fog fame; award-winning filmmaker Fyodor Bondarchuk; and film critic Naum Kleiman. In addition to the museum, the team said they would create a film library accessible to anyone.

A document outlining their proposal states: “We can confidently say that Russians are greatly interested in cinema. However, this interest must be constantly maintained and encouraged. International experience tells us that every region needs a fully functioning film library, which everyone has access to in order to help with education and training.”