From old Moscow to modernity: sites film directors choose for production

This summer, the Moscow Film Commission received over 1,200 shooting applications. 127 projects were allowed to shoot on the city's venues, according to Alexei Fursin, Moscow Government Minister and Head of the Moscow Department of Culture.

"The Moscow Film Commission operates as a single point of contact, helping approve film production in the city's spaces, interact with the relevant departments and resolve organizational issues. Additionally, the Moskino digital platform offers hundreds of urban and interior locations, pavilion and the cluster services," shares Alexei Fursin.

Traditionally, the summer season is one of the most eventful periods for the film industry. Long days and more stable weather give film crews an opportunity to use open air locations more: run long shifts and film in streets, embankments, squares, and other urban spaces.

The Moscow Film Commission operates as a single point of contact, helping film producers set up their operations in Moscow, interacting with the relevant departments and institutions. Depending on the objectives, that could be a street or square shooting, hardware placement, vehicle handling, temporary changes to the urban environment or setting up more complex scenes.

Most popular shooting locations

In the summer of 2026, Basmanny, Danilovsky and Zamoskvorechye districts of Moscow were the most popular among film crews.

Basmanny District was the leader: shooting was done at 18 different locations in the summer season. The district owes its popularity to its varied historical architecture and recognizable urban environment. Khitrovskaya Square remains a beloved location for filming: the style of its architecture is especially suitable for period films and scenes that take place in the Moscow of the past.

Eleven locations were used by film crews in Danilovsky District this summer, with Mark Shagal Embarkment being in especially high demand. Its modern architecture, open layout and closeness to the river make it perfect for shooting projects focused on the modern Moscow, as well as car chases and urban action scenes.

Another 10 shooting locations were used in Zamoskvorechye. Among them, Sadovnicheskaya Embankment was especially popular: it attracts film crews with its easily recognizable urban views, historical buildings and closeness to the Moscow downtown.

Some locations outside the top 3 districts were also in high demand. In Savyolovsky District, for instance, Moscow Healthcare Department's Clinical Hospital No.24 was one such location: seven new film projects were shooting there over the summer. The Palace of Pioneers on Vorobyovy Gory was a leader in Gagarinsky District, with six film crews choosing it as their summer shooting location.

Roads in Troitsky and Novomoskovsky administrative districts are a standalone category among popular shooting locations. Cinematographers regularly choose sections of the road in Voronovo and Krasnopakhorsky areas to shoot driving cars and scenes on the move.

Moscow architecture is varied enough to offer a space for every genre and time: from period dramas to modern comedies and TV series. The variety of its urban environments remains a key advantage of Moscow as a shooting location.

Genre defines the place

The choice of a shooting location depends on the project setting. Period movies and TV series most often choose districts where the old Moscow architecture is still present: those spaces allow to recreate the desired time period right within the city. For modern comedies and dramas, the choice generally falls on embankments, public spaces, residential neighborhoods and new urban areas that help film crews showcase modern Moscow as a natural environment for their characters. The same location can have a very different on-screen presence, depending on the artistic objective, the time of day, props and shooting angles.

Moscow as a movie set

For film producers, the city is not merely a background, but a part of their stories in its own right. A director may need a historical plaza for one project, a modern embankment or a quiet downtown street for another one. The Moscow Film Commission's objective is to help film crews make their ideas reality amid the specific environment of the area and the city's day-to-day life.