Cannes Film Festival ‘No Longer Welcoming’ Russian Delegations, Kremlin Connections

Cannes Film Festival ‘No Longer Welcoming’ Russian Delegations, Kremlin Connections
Cast member Matt Damon signs autographs at a press conference for the film "Stillwater" at the 74th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, on July 9, 2021. Eric Gaillard/Reuters
Katabella Roberts
Updated:

The Cannes Film Festival has become the latest organization to announce a boycott against Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine as dozens of company’s across the globe seek to distance themselves from Moscow.

The organization issued a statement on Tuesday stating that it would no longer be welcoming any Russian delegations or anyone connected to the Russian government to its 2022 edition in May “unless the war of assault ends in conditions that will satisfy the Ukrainian people.”

“As the world has been hit by a heavy crisis in which a part of Europe finds itself in a state of war, the Festival de Cannes wishes to extend all its support to the people of Ukraine and all those who are in its territory,” the organization said.

“However modest as it is, we join our voices with those who oppose this unacceptable situation and denounce the attitude of Russia and its leaders.”

Cannes did, however, throw its support behind Russians “who have taken risks to protest against the assault and invasion of Ukraine.”

“Among them are artists and film professionals who have never ceased to fight against the contemporary regime, who cannot be associated with these unbearable actions, and those who are bombing Ukraine,” the organization said.

Loyal to its history that started in 1939 in resistance to the fascist and Nazi dictatorship, the Festival de Cannes will always serve artists and industry professionals that raise their voices to denounce violence, repression, and injustices, for the main purpose to defend peace and liberty.”

Elsewhere, The Venice Film Festival, said it was organizing free screenings of the film “Reflection” in Rome, Milan, and Venice, starting next week as “a sign of solidarity with the filmmakers and the people of Ukraine.”

The film by Ukrainian filmmaker Valentyn Vasynovych, is set during the 2014 war in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region and was presented in competition at the 78th Venice Film Festival 2021.

The moves by Cannes and the Venice Film Festival comes after the European Broadcasting Union last week announced that Russia would not be allowed to participate in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, which is set to take place in Turin in May.

A string of other cultural festivals has also announced similar boycotts against Moscow while the global film and TV industry doubled down on its solidarity with Ukraine.

This week, Disney, Sony, Warner Bros, Universal, and Paramount all announced they would no longer be releasing films in the country.

Russia invaded Ukraine, a former Soviet nation, on Feb. 24 under President Vladimir Putin’s premise of a “special military operation.”

On Tuesday, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that Russia was planning to launch a “large-scale information and psychological operation“ against Ukraine in the near future in an effort to ”break the resistance of Ukrainians and the Ukrainian army with lies.”
“Using tactics of total disinformation and intimidation of the civilian population, the enemy will try to sow panic and chaos,” Reznikov said in a statement.

Russian officials and state-run media outlets have not yet made any public comments on Reznikov’s claims.

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