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Anatoly Fradis worked as a film director for the largest and oldest studio in Europe and the U.S.S.R., Mosfilm Studios in Moscow, from the time he was twenty until he departed for the United States in 1979. Upon his arrival to the United States 31 years ago, Mr. Fradis began his career as a promoter and an impresario. He promoted primarily Eastern European films and live shows from the former U.S.S.R., Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia and toured them throughout the U.S., Canada and Western Europe. He was involved in bringing such acclaimed performers including George Marianovich, Radmila Karaklajic, Karel Gott, Yanosh Koosh, Lilly Ivanova, the Moscow Gypsy Theatre, and one of the greatest Spanish film stars and singers Sarita Montiel with Spanish Ballet "Fuego Flamenco" into the U.S., as well as many American performers such as Jose Feliciano and Johnny Cash to Eastern Europe.
His company, AFRA Film Enterprises, was formed in 1980 to promote mainly Russian and Eastern European films. Under exclusive contractual arrangement with Film Polski, AFRA obtained critically acclaimed Polish art films, many of which were shelved during martial law. During this period Mr. Fradis and his company served as a bridge between Polish cinema and serious American film audiences. Since 1987, Mr. Fradis and his company has represented Mosfilm Studios in Russia, the U.S. and Canada, serving as a liaison between Mosfilm and several production companies in America and Europe, arranging co-productions and service deals including "Back in the USSR" for 20th Century Fox/Largo Entertainment and "The Inner Circle" for Columbia Pictures. Mr. Fradis was instrumental in bringing first major U.S. motion pictures for private distribution in the U.S.S.R., including "Rambo - First Blood", "Gone with the Wind", "Wanted Dead or Alive", "Stella", "Elvira-Mistress of the Dark" and many others. Since 1990, Mr. Fradis became one of the major suppliers of American films to the U.S.S.R., selling to Russia as many as 60 films per year. For more than fifteen years AFRA-Film and Mosfilm/USA were arranging and coordinating Mosfilm's efforts in Cannes, Milan and Los Angeles during respective film festivals and markets.
Among other diversified activities, Mr. Fradis owns and/or controls several companies with business activities ranging from travel services to theatre construction and management. One of Mr. Fradis' companies, International Business Consortium Corporation, was exclusively representing the Samsung Group and its electronic products for the territory of Poland since 1985 until 1995. Mr. Fradis still maintains very strong relations with the Samsung Entertainment Group, which is involved in worldwide film distribution and exhibition.
Using his extensive contacts in Russia and Eastern Europe, Mr. Fradis produced two films during 1992 to 1993 in partnership with Roger Corman's Concord-New Horizons, "Haunted Symphony" and "Burial Of The Rats", as well as, in 1994, an action-thriller "Beyond Forgiveness" for Showtime/Nu Image. In 1996, Mr. Fradis produced two films, "Marquis De Sade" for Showtime and "Termination Man" for Saban Entertainment. From 1996 to 1997, Mr. Fradis financed and produced the film "Business for Pleasure" in partnership with Zalman King Productions for Showtime where he worked in Austria and established very good relations with the Vienna Film Financing Fund and German banks. Since then, he was able to arrange co-financing for several American films to be shot in Austria and Germany. In 1998, Mr. Fradis produced several episodes of a highly popular TV serial, Zalman King's "Red Shoe Diaries" for Showtime, and an action-thriller "Black Sea-213" for HBO/Playboy International.
In 1999, Mr. Fradis and his partners from Northern California established a new company, Theatre Promotions Management Corporation, which was involved in the renovation project of the October cinema in Moscow, supplying the multiplex with 11 screens and super-advanced film projection, sound and concert equipment. Also, Mr. Fradis was involved in the construction of a 14-screen multiplex in downtown Seoul, South Korea and several multiplexes in Warsaw, Poland.
In 2002, Mr. Fradis, together with his long-time associate, entertainment banker Joseph Cohen, established new financing and production entity, Marching Band Productions, which financed and executive produced Bob Dylan's "Masked and Anonymous", distributed in the United States by Sony Classics. In 2005 to 2006, Mr. Fradis financed and produced in Bucharest, Romania, two sequels to the popular "Return of the Living Dead" franchise, "Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis" and "Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave", which were sold for the distribution in the United States to NBC-Universal Sci-Fi Channel and Lions Gate Entertainment. In 2006, Mr. Fradis purchased film rights to the highly acclaimed literary properties: "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.
Presently, Mr. Fradis is in active pre-production on a $25 million major motion picture, Babi Yar, to be filmed in Ukraine and Romania and directed by Academy Award-winner, Barry Levinson ("Diner", "Rain Man", "Avalon"). Also, in development and pre-production are several other projects, 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, Mr. Fradis was included in The Marquis "Who's Who in America" for his outstanding achievements in his field of endeavors and for his significant contributions to the betterment of contemporary society.
