Vilnius, Europe Brief News- The Vilnius International Film Festival has declared total boycott to Russian cinema.
Running from March 24 to April 3, the festival has removed all five Russian films from the programme.
The festival is one of the first European events to act on the petition published by the Ukrainian Film Academy to boycott Russian cinema.
“We answered their call as we felt that this wasn’t the right time to celebrate, or to promote, Russian filmmakers, Russian cinema, Russian culture,” Algirdas Ramaska, Vilnius film festival’s chief executive officer, said.
“The boycott shows all Russian people that what’s happening isn’t OK and that this war is against their whole country, against their own citizens.”
On 23 March, the so-called “Day Zero”, the festival organised a Ukrainian Cinema Day and screened five films from the war-torn country: Mariupolis, The Distant Barking of Dogs, Atlantis, Bad Roads, and My Thoughts Are Silent.
The revenue went to support several organisations chosen by Ukrainian filmmakers, and Ukrainian refugees could attend the screenings for free by showing their IDs.
On 1 April, another Ukrainian Day will take place – during which industry representatives and stakeholders will meet to discuss stances on Russian cinema and how to support the Ukrainian film industry.
“We want to create a platform to gather European industry professionals, to give voice to Ukrainian filmmakers and institutions,” Ramaska said.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February has triggered a widespread backlash in the arts and culture world, with many film festivals, art galleries, and other venues cancelling Russian events, screenings and performances.
