Russia's culture minister has proposed raising the price of cinema tickets for Hollywood films in an attempt to save his country's film industry.

Vladimir Medinsky told MPs that the budget for Russian films was less than half the budget of Hollywood blockbusters.

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He said that Russian cinema urgently needed more state support as "there is no suggestion that these films can compete with the sales of Hollywood blockbusters".

Therefore, Russians should pay more to see a US film in the cinema, Medinsky argued in the State Duma on Wednesday (17 May).

"Right now, tickets for Hollywood movies and Russian films are the same price: 230 roubles [£3, $4], and that's wrong," he said.

Earlier Communist MP and film director Vladimir Bortko complained that the culture ministry was spending 35m roubles (£467,000) on Russian cinema, a meagre contribution compared to the average Hollywood budget of $12m, according to the BBC.

Bortko said that 156 Russian films were shown in cinemas in 2016, but only drew 18% of the audience.

He compared supporting Russian cinema to protectionism in the car industry and asked MPs to consider whether consumers would buy a Russian car if a US model was on sale for the same price.

Russian films that have won international acclaim

Paradise (2016)

Drama directed by Andrei Konchalovsky about the relationship between a member of the French resistance and an SS officer. The film won a Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

Leviathan (2014)

Directed by Andrei Zvyagintsev, Leviathan tells the tragic story of a mechanic in north Russia who becomes embroiled in a scandal orchestrated by the town's mayor. It was named best filmed at the London Film Festival.

The Return (2003)

Another drama by Zvyagintsev, the plot revolves around two young boys who face a test of manhood when they embark on a fishing trip with their father. The film won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

Burnt by the Sun (1994)

Nikita Mikhalkov's won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film tells the story of a Red Army Officer and his family during the Great Purge in the late 1930s in Stalin's Soviet Union.

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