Aleksandr Zharov presented the results of research into the image of a national cinema hero

The Russian film industry is in search of new images of heroes that meet the audience’s needs and wishes. What heroes are worthy of becoming the symbol of a generation, taking into account historical heritage and modern challenges, were discussed at the session “Modern Hero in Cinema and Media. The role and significance for the development of society” at the 10th St. Petersburg International United Cultures Forum.

The session was attended by Aleksandr Zharov, CEO of Gazprom-Media Holding, Anna Tsivilyova, State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Elvira Nurgalieva, Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, Vladimir Mashkov, Chairman of the Union of Theater Workers and Artistic Director of the Oleg Tabakov Theater and School, Karen Shakhnazarov, General Director and Chairman of the Board of Mosfilm, film director and screenwriter, and Miloš Biković, theater and film actor. The session was moderated by NTV anchor Irada Zeynalova.

The session presented results of a detailed study of the image of a hero that Gazprom-Media Holding conducted over this year.

Gazprom-Media Holding’s research combines interviews with experts, semiotic analysis of Russian cinema over the past 40 years, and communication with the populations of Russian cities and towns. As a result, the authors of the study were able to form 43 hero archetypes, dividing them into outgoing, currently dominant, and emerging.

Aleksandr Zharov noted that currently, the images of characters in Russian cinema are developing along two main lines: transformation of existing archetypes with regard to changing values, and the formation of authentic Russian codes. So, there is an evolution of the linear “lone superman” code, typical for action movies released during the 1990s, into a multifaceted image of “good with fists”, to which the protagonist of the TNT TV series Polar could be attributed. The “re-educated” character shown in The Peasant series of films, where the main role was played by actor Miloš Biković, can be attributed to the second direction. In the future,

Gazprom-Media Holding plans to use the results of the research to formulate its business strategy and create new film projects.