Ivan Demidov, a former TV show host and political functionary, has been appointed deputy culture minister in charge of the film industry in the new Russian cabinet, Hollywood Reporter published from Moscow this week. Demidov is replacing Yekaterina Chukovskaya in the new team that is being formed by newly appointed culture minster Vladimir Medinsky, and bringing him on board was the new minister’s first major decision.

Demidov, 48, came to the limelight in the early 1990s as host of MuzOBOZ, one of the first music shows on Soviet television made by Western recipes. Later, he hosted a number of other shows and held senior positions in television, including that of head of the station TV6 in the mid-1990s. Since the mid-2000s, he has been involved with Yedinaya Rossiya (United Russia), the country’s main political party and has held several senior government and party positions. His last job was deputy head of the internal policy department at Russia’s presidential organization, in charge of relations with public and religious organizations.

Even as the news of Demidov’s appointment as in charge of the Russian Film Industry came out, Moscow Times published an article expressing the anxiety of film fraternity in Russia about the role of state in the future of the industry. News sources complain that the new regime might favor excessive patriotism in Russian films. "State personnel decisions are showing once more that cinema is not an art but a propaganda tool," said Pavel Bardin, best known for "Russia 88," a 2009 mockumentary about the rise of the neo-Nazi movement in the country. You can read the full article published in Moscow Times here.