Russian family film Buratino will open the Russian Film Festival in China in Hohhot on August 29, distribution company Art Pictures Distribution told Gazeta.Ru.
Director Igor Voloshin will personally present the modern fairy tale adaptation at the opening night screening before the showcase tours Beijing, Shanghai, Harbin, and Heihe from August 27 to September 2.
The cultural event is organized by Russian state film promoter ROSKINO alongside the China Film Art Research Center, with backing from Russia's Ministry of Culture and China's State Film Administration. The tour acts as a reciprocal event following the Chinese Film Festival held from June 8 to June 14, 2026, across the Russian cities of Moscow, Yekaterinburg, and Vladivostok.
Cultural exchange and box office earnings
Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova said Russia and China have maintained sincere respect and strong friendship for many years, adding that a shared love for cinema highlights its special role in bilateral cultural cooperation. She noted that holding exchange festivals has become a firm tradition demonstrating the achievements of both film industries. Lyubimova added that the Chinese festival in Russia achieved great success earlier this year and expressed confidence that the Russian film lineup in China would leave an equally powerful impression on viewers.
Buratino is a modern film interpretation of the popular children's story by Alexei Tolstoy, written in 1936 as a Russian retelling of Carlo Collodi's Italian tale Pinocchio. The feature opened in wide theatrical release across Russia on January 1, 2026, becoming one of the country's main family releases of the year after grossing more than 2.3 billion rubles.
Following its success at home, the film achieved international recognition with distribution rights sold to more than 50 countries. It has already been released in the United States, Canada, Spain, Switzerland, Israel, Cyprus, and Latin America, while also appearing at Russian film festivals in Armenia, Thailand, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Serbia, and Algeria.
Joint productions and star-studded cast
Anastasia Korchagina, general director of Art Pictures Distribution, stated that Russian theaters have screened more than a dozen films involving Chinese co-production over recent years. She added that Russian cinema remains popular in China, pointing to the joint Russian-Chinese feature Red Silk as the most successful domestic release there last year after earning 12 million yuan at the Chinese box office.
The star-studded cast of Buratino features Alexander Petrov, Mark Eidelstein, Viktoria Isakova, Ruzil Minekaev, Vitaliya Kornienko, Fyodor Bondarchuk, and Alexander Yatsenko. The film soundtrack was composed by Alexei Rybnikov, who previously wrote the iconic score for the 1975 television adaptation, The Adventures of Buratino.
The announcement follows previous reports listing seven essential Russian movies to watch before the end of summer.
