Cannes 2022: Ukrainian personalities demand a total exclusion of Russians

Representatives of Ukrainian cinema demanded Thursday in Cannes, for the festival, the total exclusion of Russian films internationally, including those of Kirill Serebrennikov, the day after the opening by the latter, breaking with the regime, “We really believe that anything Russian should be erased,” Ukrainian film producer Andrew Fesiak told AFP at a conference on “Russian propaganda” hosted by the U.S. pavilion. at the Film Market. “Russian filmmakers cannot pretend that everything is fine and that they have nothing to be ashamed of,” he said, “at a time when Ukrainian filmmakers are being forced to stop making films because ‘they must, either flee to save their life, or take up arms’. Regarding the presence in competition of the film The Woman by Tchaikovsky, he felt that its director “Serebrennikov is not an opponent, not at all” , recalling that “his entire career has been financed by Russian government money”. The Cannes Film Festival has decided not to host any official Russian representation or Russians who defend the Kremlin line on Ukraine. But, on the same line as other major world cultural events, its general delegate Thierry Frémaux defended Monday before journalists the idea of ​​welcoming Russian dissidents: “There are Russian artists, journalists, who have left Russia Kirill Serebrennikov is a man who considered that if he did not leave Russia, he was complicit in this war.” Also a director, Serebrennikov is now based in Berlin. He had told AFP at the end of April that he had left his native Russia for a matter of “conscience”. Mr. Frémaux had clarified on Monday that the idea of ​​a “total boycott” had been requested “not by the Ukrainian authorities, but by ultras, people who are very radical”. “It’s a position that I can understand […] because they are people who are under the bombs,” he admitted. Andriy Khalpakhchi, director of the kyiv Molodist International Film Festival, replied Thursday that in his opinion there are no “good Russians” in this For him, Kirill Serebrennikov “should have made the decision on his own not to participate in the Cannes Film Festival”.