ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 considers how the logic of projection operates on the terrain of cinema in its ‘soft power’ dimension. Providing close readings of two very different Russian films that enjoyed international acclaim, one an independent art-house hit, the other a deceptively subtle but patriotic war blockbuster, it argues that the recursive logic films adopt when accorded cultural diplomatic functions generates dual claims to universal and specific meanings corresponding to the films’ need to face towards both domestic and foreign audiences. However, persistent reversals in the relationship between these claims highlight the interplay of national self-image and external perception characteristic of nation projection. Traceable through the ambivalent modality and fractured narration such films display, the interplay reflects the involvement of multiple actors and institutions within and across states. Whilst state actors may attempt to resolve the ambiguities, the chapter concludes that, even in Putin’s Russia, state re-appropriations of inconvenient cultural meanings are complex, multi-agent affairs which do not happen hierarchically or according to a clear linear time sequence. The analysis points towards the need for new, non-linear approaches to cultural diplomacy, both as a field of study and as a practice.
