Strukov, V (2016) Russian ‘Manipulative Smart Power’: Zviagintsev’s Oscar Nomination, (Non-)Government Agency, and Contradictions of the Globalised World. New Cinemas, 14 (1). pp. 31-49. ISSN 1474-2756
Abstract
Through an analysis of government documents regulating the film industry, I examine the structure and reach of Russian soft power in relation to BRICS and the West. I introduce the concept of ‘manipulative soft power’ to account for Russia’s re-orientation politically and also cinematically. The article explores a number of theoretical concerns including soft power and agency in the era of social media, soft power and the ‘attention economy’ where ‘attention currency’ is valued more than the product to which it is attached, and soft power and controversy and notoriety. I focus on a particular event: the release of Zviagintsev’s Leviathan, its nomination for the 2015 Oscars, and the associated controversy that engulfed Russia and the Russian speaking world in 2014–15 and that bled into international media, especially Anglophone media, thus re-focusing global attention on Russia. I analyse the government and media discourse surrounding the release of Leviathan, and I conclude by reflecting on Russian soft power and the country’s role in the process of globalization.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2016 Intellect Ltd. This is an author produced version of a paper published in New Cinemas: Journal of Contemporary Film. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Leviathan; Oscars; Russia; Zviagintsev; cultural industry; manipulation; piracy; soft power |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Languages Cultures & Societies (Leeds) > Russian & Slavonic Studies (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 11 May 2017 10:59 |
Last Modified: | 17 Jul 2018 00:38 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Intellect |
Identification Number: | 10.1386/ncin.14.1.31_1 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:116249 |