State Duma second half of the 1990s, the Duma became an important forum for lobbying by regional leaders and businessmen looking for tax breaks and legislative favors. The work of the leading committees, such as those for defense, foreign affairs, or budget, attracted a good deal of media attention and lobbying activity. In the early 2000s, following the 1999 parliamentary elections, the pro-presidential Unity party and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation were the leading forces in the State Duma. A 2016 exposé by Dissernet showed that 1 in 9 members of the State Duma had obtained academic degrees with theses
Duma (2005 film) theatrically, but Scott Foundas wrote a rave review for the film in "Variety" and it led Warner Bros to reconsider. Warner Bros. finally gave "Duma" a limited theatrical release in the US. "Duma" was released on DVD on May 16, 2006 by Warner Bros. Entertainment. "Duma" went on receiving very positive reviews from critics; the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 93% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 61 reviews; Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 82 out of 100, based on 21 reviews. The film made $870,067 at the North American box office