Biography
Anatoly Fradis served as a film director at Mosfilm Studios in Moscow, Europe's largest and oldest studio, from age twenty until his move to the United States in 1979. Upon arriving in the U.S. 31 years ago, Mr. Fradis launched his career as a promoter and impresario, focusing primarily on Eastern European films and live performances from the former U.S.S.R., Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia. He toured these shows across the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe. He played a key role in bringing renowned artists such as George Marianovich, Radmila Karaklajic, Karel Gott, Yanosh Koosh, Lilly Ivanova, the Moscow Gypsy Theatre, and Spanish film star and singer Sarita Montiel with the Spanish Ballet "Fuego Flamenco" to the U.S., as well as facilitating American performers like Jose Feliciano and Johnny Cash to perform in Eastern Europe.
In 1980, he founded AFRA Film Enterprises to promote Russian and Eastern European cinema. Through an exclusive contract with Film Polski, AFRA acquired critically acclaimed Polish art films, many of which had been shelved during martial law. During this time, Mr. Fradis and his company acted as a vital link between Polish cinema and discerning American audiences. Since 1987, Mr. Fradis and AFRA have represented Mosfilm Studios in Russia, the U.S., and Canada, coordinating collaborations and service agreements with production companies in America and Europe, including projects like "Back in the USSR" for 20th Century Fox/Largo Entertainment and "The Inner Circle" for Columbia Pictures. He was pivotal in introducing major U.S. films for private distribution in the U.S.S.R., including titles such as "Rambo - First Blood," "Gone with the Wind," "Wanted Dead or Alive," "Stella," and "Elvira-Mistress of the Dark." From 1990 onward, Mr. Fradis became a leading supplier of American films to Russia, distributing up to 60 films annually. For over fifteen years, AFRA Film and Mosfilm/USA coordinated Mosfilm's participation in major film festivals and markets in Cannes, Milan, and Los Angeles.
Beyond film, Mr. Fradis owns and manages several companies engaged in activities ranging from travel services to theatre construction and management. His company, International Business Consortium Corporation, represented the Samsung Group and its electronics in Poland exclusively from 1985 until 1995. He maintains strong ties with Samsung Entertainment Group, which focuses on global film distribution and exhibition.
Leveraging his extensive connections in Russia and Eastern Europe, Mr. Fradis produced two films between 1992 and 1993 in partnership with Roger Corman's Concord-New Horizons: "Haunted Symphony" and "Burial of the Rats." In 1994, he produced the action-thriller "Beyond Forgiveness" for Showtime/Nu Image. In 1996, he produced "Marquis De Sade" for Showtime and "Termination Man" for Saban Entertainment. Between 1996 and 1997, he financed and produced "Business for Pleasure" in collaboration with Zalman King Productions for Showtime, working in Austria and building strong relationships with the Vienna Film Financing Fund and German banks. This enabled him to arrange co-financing for several American films shot in Austria and Germany. In 1998, Mr. Fradis produced episodes of the popular TV series Zalman King's "Red Shoe Diaries" for Showtime and the action-thriller "Black Sea-213" for HBO/Playboy International.
In 1999, Mr. Fradis and his Northern California partners launched Theatre Promotions Management Corporation, spearheading the renovation of Moscow's October cinema, equipping the multiplex with 11 screens and state-of-the-art film projection, sound, and concert technology. He also contributed to constructing a 14-screen multiplex in downtown Seoul, South Korea, as well as multiple multiplexes in Warsaw, Poland.
In 2002, Mr. Fradis and longtime associate entertainment banker Joseph Cohen founded Marching Band Productions, a financing and production company that executive produced Bob Dylan's "Masked and Anonymous," distributed in the U.S. by Sony Classics. Between 2005 and 2006, he financed and produced two sequels to the "Return of the Living Dead" franchise—"Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis" and "Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave"—in Bucharest, Romania. These were sold for U.S. distribution to NBC-Universal Sci-Fi Channel and Lions Gate Entertainment. In 2006, Mr. Fradis acquired film rights to esteemed literary works including "Babi Yar" by Anatoli Kuznetsov, "The Gadfly (OVOD)" by Ethel Lillian Voynich, and "The Man Who Held The Queen To Ransom And Sent Parliament Packing" by Peter Van Greenaway.
Currently, Mr. Fradis is actively in pre-production on a $25 million major motion picture, "Babi Yar," to be filmed in Ukraine and Romania, directed by Academy Award-winner Barry Levinson ("Diner," "Rain Man," "Avalon"). Several other projects are also in development and pre-production, including "Off Center: Paul Lynde Story," and "Chronic," to be directed by four-time Emmy winner John Vulich.
Mr. Fradis is a member of numerous professional guilds and academies. Since 1998, he has been listed in The Marquis "Who's Who in America" for his outstanding achievements and significant contributions to contemporary society.
