The Sino-Russian co-production "Operation Red Silk", which set a box office of nearly 700 million rubles (about 64 million yuan) in Russia in early 2025, deeply integrated the professional strength of the teams of the two countries in every link from shooting to distribution. In September this year, the film will be released in China as an important tribute to the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia and the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Anti-Fascist War.
From June 21 to 25, the Shanghai International Film and Television Market was held at the Shanghai Exhibition Center. As the core industry platform of the Shanghai International Film Festival and the Shanghai TV Festival, this year's market has been upgraded in all aspects, and a special "International Zone" has been set up to promote exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese and global film and television industries at a broader and deeper level.
On June 23, the Russian Film and Television Content Promotion Conference landed at the Shanghai International Film and Television Market, presenting selected works from 15 top Russian production companies, distributors and sales agents, covering 33 animations, feature films, TV series and documentary animations.
Russian film and television content promotion conference
In 2023, China and Russia agreed to hold the "China-Russia Cultural Year" from 2024 to 2025. Since the opening of the "China-Russia Cultural Year" in May last year, the two sides have held a series of cultural exchange activities. The booming film cooperation is a strong note in this symphony.
In early May this year, Moscow held the 18th meeting of the Film Cooperation Subcommittee of the China-Russia Humanistic Cooperation Committee. In-depth discussions were held and broad consensus was reached on topics such as hosting film festivals and exhibitions between the two countries, introducing more films from each other's countries, promoting cooperation in co-production and animation films, strengthening the training of young film talents and the exchange of film equipment.
It is reported that the number of Russian film promotion projects received by the Shanghai International Film and Television Market this year has reached a new high, and the participating film companies are also showing a more diverse trend.
The head of the Russian state film promotion agency Roskino said, "During the Russian-Chinese Cultural Year, our interactive cooperation has been greatly strengthened. The Shanghai market is the 'industry vane' of the Chinese film market. We hope to better understand China's current trends, audience preferences and prospects, and of course look forward to reaching new agreements."
The Russian visual company Trailer Cola also came to Shanghai with the latest technology and creative methodologies for film visual narrative, emotional guidance, and market detonation points. Trailer Cola has won many important movie trailer awards, including the 2024 Golden Trailer Awards. The company's CEO Alexander Serzhantov said that he has been thinking about how to achieve innovative integration of Russia's profound artistic traditions and China's unique cultural elements in trailer and poster design.
Russian filmmakers visited Shanghai Animation Film Studio for exchange
During the Shanghai Film Festival, Sherzantov exchanged ideas with Huang Hai, an artist who has designed movie posters for many master directors, and Xiong Chao, a visual artist. During this trip to Shanghai, he also visited the Shanghai Film Museum to learn about the origins of Chinese films, and visited famous Chinese film companies and advertising companies including the Shanghai Fine Arts Film Studio to seek further cooperation.
Liang Jiashan, who once participated in the planning of the "Russian Film Week", a supporting event of the China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, told the reporter of The Paper: "In recent years, the film markets of China and Russia have become increasingly close, and more and more film exchange activities have been held between the two countries, providing a favorable soil for the film and cultural exchanges between the two countries. Today, the film cooperation between China and Russia has surpassed the initial stage of co-production of a single film, presenting a new pattern of full industry chain and multi-level penetration."
Take the Sino-Russian co-production "Operation Red Silk", which set a box office of nearly 700 million rubles (about 64 million yuan) in Russia in early 2025, for example. This type of project that carries common historical memories is not only a fusion of content creation, but also deeply integrates the professional strength of the teams of the two countries from its early preparation, shooting coordination, post-production to the final marketing and distribution. In September this year, "Operation Red Silk" will be released in China as an important tribute to the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia and the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Anti-Fascist War.
Operation Red Silk is based on real historical events. It tells the story of the Siberian Express in 1927, where secret documents that determine the future of the Soviet Union and China are being secretly transmitted to various parts of Russia. Among the ordinary passengers are foreign intelligence agents and real thugs who are ready to do anything for the documents. A young Red Army soldier and a former Tsarist agent must join forces to fight a common enemy.
"Operation Red Silk" poster
