Moscow — A very British bear has found itself stuck in the middle of a Russian battle between public entertainment and limiting foreign influence.The day before the animated family film “Paddington 2” was scheduled to debut in cinemas, Russia’s Ministry of Culture postponed the release from Jan. 1, sparking backlash from the country’s Association of Cinema Owners. In a Facebook statement on Wednesday, the organization called the decision to delay “Paddington 2” a “gross interference” by the government, and the Ministry of Culture ultimately relented with the film opening in theaters Saturday. But the incident illustrated Russia’s ongoing initiative to prop up its own film industry, one where nine of 10 films are government-funded and often cast Russia in a positive light. The movie theater is just one domain where the modern Russian system walks a fine line of sheltering citizens from Western ideals that may not agree with President Vladimir Putin’s view of the world and Russia’s role in it. A law allows the Ministry of Culture to bump foreign films, such as “Paddington 2,” if their release dates coincide with that of a locally produced film. The rule was enacted two years ago. At the time, culture minister Vladimir Medinsky seemed to make a veiled threat regarding the content of Russian cinema.“We won’t fight for every [Russian] film,” he said then. “We will set financial, political or ideological priorities.” In 2015, Andrei Zvyagintsev’s “Leviathan,” a movie about Russia produced by Russians, had its release date postponed by the Ministry of Culture even as it was a hit at international film festivals and won a Golden Globe for best foreign-language film. The bleak tale of a man’s battle with a corrupt local bureaucrat was criticized as anti-Russian and undermining Putin. Jan 12, 2018 Paddington 2 Full Movie Watch Online, Download and Stream HD instant free on your Desktop, Laptop, notepad, smart phone, iPhone, Apple, all others. Can't remember what the movie was. A full and original Gypsy the. Hugh Grant, Imelda Staunton, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters, News, Padinton2, Paul King. In response, Russia outlawed movies “defiling the national culture, posing a threat to national unity and undermining the foundations of the constitutional order.” The Ministry of Culture ultimately reversed its course on that legislation, and public curiosity led to the film’s wide release in Russia. Medinsky said at the time that the characters, shown taking swigs of vodka, “are not Russians,” and that films “filled with a sense of despair and hopelessness over our existence, should not be financed with taxpayers’ money.” Russia banned swearing in arts and media in 2014, which meant that a sanitized version of the film ran in theaters. “Let all the flowers grow, but we will only water the ones we like,” Zvyagintsev quipped to the Guardian, referencing a quote from Medinsky himself. The release of “Paddington 2” was not postponed because of its content, but because of what appeared to be an attempt to eliminate some box office competition for the homegrown “Scythian,” a historical drama also scheduled to debut on Jan. 18, and “Going Vertical,” a patriotic Soviet sports flick about the U.S.S.R.’s Olympic basketball triumph over the U.S. Team in 1972.
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