"My wife keeps asking me when I'll be shooting films, so I came to the festival not to shoot a new film," Mr. Parker said jokingly in reply to a question why he agreed to head the jury.
"Honestly, it is my privilege to head the Moscow festival's jury. I got acquainted with Russian cinematography in the Soviet times. I met Nikita Mikhalkov 25 years ago and I am his big fan. Unfortunately, ordinary people in Britain see few Russian films but I hope the situation changes," the director proceeded.
According to him, he will visit a film studio, the All-Russia State Cinematography Institute and the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum. He was there in 1989 when Moscow hosted a retro show of his movies.
"My greatest pleasure is to walk in Moscow and see the changes in the city," Alan Parker noted.
He gave some recommendations to Russian filmmakers at the press conference in the Cinema House. "The powerful Hollywood film industry should not dominate here. Besides, you should stop buying pirated DVDs," he said.
The big jury includes six people, Alan Parker, Russian writer Boris Akunin, French producer Humbert Balsan, German actress Barbara Sukowa, well-known Russian producer Armen Medvedev and popular Polish actor and film director Jerzy Stuhr.
