Fyodor Bondarchuk's companies threaten bankruptcy

Art Pictures Studio did not comply with the court’s requirement to return 20 million rubles to the bankruptcy estate.
LLC Nashino Kino Company intends to appeal to the arbitration court with the bankruptcy petition of Art Pictures Studio, which is owned on a parity basis by producer Fedor Bondarchuk and NMG Studio LLC (100% subsidiary of the National Media Group ( NMG), which owns 29% of Channel One, the Channel Five channels, REN TV, the Izvestia newspaper). Art Pictures Studio is one of the largest Russian film companies, the creator of the films “Attraction”, “Duhless”, “Stalingrad”, “Ice”.

The corresponding announcement was published on the website of Fedresursa and is due to the debt of Art Pickers Studio, confirmed by the arbitration court on May 15. According to the text of this ruling, the court granted the statement of the bankruptcy trustee of Our Film Company on the recognition of transactions involving the transfer of Art Pictures Studio 20 million rubles. invalid and obliged to return this money to the bankruptcy estate.

LLC Nashino Kino Company was founded in 2011. Its co-owners are producers Sergei Selyanov and Maxim Ukhanov (through the STV film company), as well as Igor Tolstunov (through the Profit company). In December 2017, this company was sued by Stroy-Trust LLC (bought the debt from Bulldozer Films Production, which was suing Our Cinema Company because of the “underestimated”, according to the producers, fees of the film “Fast” “Moscow - Russia”) was declared bankrupt. Selyanov and Tolstunov transferred their distribution business to another legal entity created in July 2016 by Our Cinema LLC (50% each belong to Selyanov and Tolstunov). Now it is she who is engaged in the rental of films created by these producers and third-party film companies.

The bankruptcy trustee of Our Cinema Company Alexander Angelov confirmed to Vedomosti the intention to appeal to the arbitration court, citing the fact that Art Pictures Studio has still not returned the money to the bankruptcy estate.

Tolstunov and Selyanov forwarded the questions of Vedomosti to Maxim Ukhanov, who was its CEO before the bankruptcy of Our Film Company. 20 million rubles - This is a royalty for the rental of the movie Savva. The warrior’s heart ”, co-produced by“ Art Pictures Studio ”, specified Ukhanov, adding that“ he does not consider it possible to comment on the actions of the bankruptcy trustee ”.

According to the lawyer of Storozhenko & Partners Mirza Chiragov, the actions of the bankruptcy trustee are logical: the court of cassation dismissed the complaint and Our Cinema reasonably published the announcement on Fedresurs the next day. According to Chiragov, there are no formal obstacles to the adoption of a statement by the court.

The representative of the NMG does not agree with him: “At present, there is no reason to appeal to the arbitration court with a statement declaring Art Pictures Studio LLC bankrupt, because the company has no signs of bankruptcy of the legal entity stipulated by the Law on Insolvency (Bankruptcy)” ". In their absence, initiating bankruptcy proceedings is impossible, he added.

Art Pictures Studio does not know anything about the intention of the bankruptcy trustee of Our Cinema to file with the arbitration court, a representative of Art Pictures Studio told Vedomosti.

“The decision of the court of cassation, related to the return of the bankruptcy estate in the amount of 20 million rubles, was issued on October 17. Until now, we are waiting for details for the transfer in order to execute the court decision, ”he stated.