When you think of Russian videos on YouTube, you probably think of dash cams or meteor impacts. With an upcoming initiative, the world’s top video site is adding some culture to that equation. Google has partnered with multiple production companies to launch Russian Cinema Week, which will run from November 28th to December 4th.
During that week, more than 200 Russian films will be available in full on YouTube. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the list of featured movies will include Leviathan, a drama that earned an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film; Yolki, a holiday film from Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov; and Legend № 17, a hockey biopic that took in $67 million at the box office.
Russian Cinema Week is first and foremost a showcase of foreign films, but it also has the potential to improve the perception of YouTube within the Russian government. On multiple occasions, the nation’s administrative officials have threatened to block YouTube, citing the preponderance of pirated material available on the site. Thanks to Google’s current initiative, many of the films targeted by pirates will now be available through legal means.
More information on the upcoming Cinema Week can be found on Google’s official Russian-language blog.
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