Film critics assess screening prospects of "Kinotavr" premiere film about Dubrovka terror act

On September 15, in Sochi, in the feature-length film contest of the 31st "Kinotavr" Open Russian Film Festival, the Russian premiere of Ivan Tverdovsky's film "Conference" took place. Despite the high opinions and artistic merits, film critics agreed that the film would not be a hit at movie theatres.

The "Conference" is dedicated to victims of the terror act at the Theatre Centre in Dubrovka, who were taken hostage during the performance of the "Nord-Ost" musical.

"Our film is about memory; and it's very important for me, because I'd like us to remember all those people who spent 57 hours in hostage; they had no chance to leave the hall; and 174 people perished therein," said Ivan Tverdovsky prior his film premiere in Sochi.

Spectators and critics welcomed the film benevolently. The hall was packed, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

Experts note that the film and Natalia Pavlenkova, the performer of the leading role of the nun, who had suffered in the terror act, can claim this year' "Kinotavr" Festival awards. "The festival is pretty strong. Ivan (Tverdovsky) is one of the contenders, although his film is not perfect," said Larisa Malyukova, a film critic.

Despite the artistic merits of the film, critics agree that it will not be successful at broad release. "It'll be no [success]; now, we have some kind of very sluggish spectator, who has little interest in real life. They want entertainment. We don't like watching movies about ourselves. And this is a big problem. Adults practically don't visit cinemas; and young people won't watch this one. Unfortunately, this film has few chances at the box office. This, I think, is a disaster," Ms Malyukova has stated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 16, 2020 at 10:13 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.