During the inaugural meeting, grants totalling 250 million roubles were awarded to eight major production companies: STV, Direktsiya Kino, Trite, Central Partnership, Profit, Art Pictures, Bazelevs and Rekun Cinema.
The companies have been selected from among the leaders in Russia's film industry on the basis of strict criteria. "The selection process must be based on precise criteria that are completely transparent, and personal preferences must not play a role," Mr Zhukov said.
The evaluation criteria include the opinions of movie and television audiences, participation in major film festivals, awards, as well as the applicant's total time on the market and its current activities. Box office receipts are not considered because film distribution is uneven from year to year.