October 21, 2008
"Rock Climber" is to be distributed in China
(magazine “Cinema Business Today”)

On June 17, 2008 the international department of the film company RFG sold the rights to the cinema distribution of the adventure motion picture “Rock Climber and the Last of the Seventh Cradle” in the People’s Republic of China. The corresponding agreement was concluded with Chinese company “Beijing Focus Cultural Media”. The first meeting of the Russian cinema businessmen from the RFG company with their colleagues from China took place at the film market in Hong Kong in March 2008. It was there that the screener of “Rock Climber” was shown to the distributors from China for the first time.

“We realized immediately that many elements of this movie can be of great interest for Chinese film lovers, – says the President of “Beijing Focus Cultural Media” company Mr. Jiang Xuanbin. – We were attracted by the impetuous tempo of this picture, its plot, the large scale of the production, high quality stunt scenes and the performance of the cast. Certainly, we should not compare “Rock Climber” with the blockbusters of Hollywood. But within the framework of its category it looks quite worthy. For these very reasons we would like to present this movie to the Chinese film goers”.

“Not many Russian made movies are screened in China, because there is a strictly established quota on the distribution of foreign made motion pictures in this country, – Mr. Jiang Xuanbin continues. – As a rule, not more than two motion pictures, produced in some foreign countries, are annually demonstrated in our cinemas. But if a movie is made in co-production with Chinese film makers, (like, let us say, “The Mummy: the Tomb of the Emperor of Dragons”), it is included into the film distribution throughout China without taking into consideration the established quotas. It should be also mentioned, that every foreign motion picture undergoes a strict film censorship. Many foreign movies with scenes of cruelty and violence were prohibited by our Committee of Censorship. In the last three years only three movies from Russia were selected for the film distribution in China. Unfortunately, they collected not very much money. We hope, that “Rock Climber” will become the first in the long line of Russian movies, which we are going to present to the Chinese film audience”.

Olga Aylarova, the Head of the International Department of the film company RFG, has stated that the above mentioned motion picture has already been approved by the censorship and has received the quota for the distribution in China. The entire procedure of passing the censorship lasted for more than three months. The distribution of “Rock Climber” presupposes a circulation of 150-200 prints and will be supported by different national mass media. The date of the release is being defined.

This movie by Oleg Shtrom, produced by the “Paramir” movie company, has been also sold by the RFG movie company to such countries as France, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, India, Shri-Lanka, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. The negotiations with cinema businessmen from Germany, Poland, South Korea and a number of other states are being conducted.

“Cinema Business Today” is following the development of the events.

Sergey Nekrasov