Luc Besson shares his thoughts on Moscow and Russian cinema

On November 13-14, Moscow hosted the inaugural international forum “Culture. Media. Digital”, which brought together over 5,000 participants from 16 countries. The event gathered media executives, producers, and other representatives of the creative industries. Among the forum’s keynote speakers were renowned filmmakers such as Emir Kusturica, Oliver Stone, and Luc Besson.

On the second day of the forum, the session “To Moscow with Love” featured French director Luc Besson, who shared his vision of cinema and his impressions of Russia. Emir Kusturica, the honorary chairman of the forum, opened the session with a welcoming address. 

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“Moscow is an incredibly beautiful city, although I must admit, at minus 10 degrees, I’m already ready to flee — I’m more of a beaches-and-sun kind of person. Once, we were shooting in the Russian capital at minus 21, and I thought to myself: how do you even live in such weather? But I am always happy to see people from Russia,” Besson noted. 

Besson also expressed his admiration for Russian cinema, especially the works of Andrei Tarkovsky. “Andrei Tarkovsky made incredible films. Recently, I showed “Stalker” to my son. I told him it’s a masterpiece, and he was deeply impressed. This is what I love about art and cinema — it allows us to connect regardless of what’s happening in the world,” the director shared.

Speaking about his own work, Besson revealed fascinating details about the creation of his iconic film “Léon: The Professional*. “How did “Léon” come about? It grew out of my film “La Femme Nikita”. In it, we had a cleaner — he eventually became Léon,” he explained. According to Besson, the idea for “La Femme Nikita” was inspired by a chance observation of a mysterious individual in Paris.

Currently, Besson is working on a new project, the film *Dracula: A Love Story*. “The shoot has been very challenging. We have one week left to finish this movie. If I were to do the same thing all the time, I’d get bored quickly, so I try to diversify my work,” the director admitted. The new film features an actor with whom Besson has collaborated before. “He’s a genius, and I’m incredibly lucky to work with him again,” the filmmaker added.

When asked about the possibility of filming in Russia, Besson replied that he isn’t considering it at the moment. “That’s not how my mind works. I don’t choose locations or countries; I’m guided by the character,” he said.

The *Culture. Media. Digital* forum also included discussions on the economy of new media, the interplay between new media and cinema, emerging communication trends and their associated risks, the development of the gaming industry and its role in the new media landscape, as well as AI technologies, human capital, and its preservation in the industry.

The forum was the first major event held at the TAU venue on the grounds of the Moskino film studio.