UK film critics show solidarity with Ukrainian colleagues
The Critics’ Circle Film Section has been in contact with Ukrainian film critics during the past week, and we have offered to stand with them as their nation faces this aggression from Russia. Here is their letter to FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics:
Dear colleagues,
Ukraine is suffering Russia’s unprovoked invasion right now.
Ukrainian FIPRESCI branch consists of the members from different cities of Ukraine, including members from the territories unlawfully occupied by Russia for the last eight years and being constantly repressed for what they are.
Most of these cities were already bombed by Russian troops and most likely will be any time soon. Heavy street fighting is going on in some of them including Kyiv. We are calling out for our fellow members of FIPRESCI and literally everybody who is reading this to actively support Russia’s isolation until its troops leave territory of Ukraine within its borders according to the international law.
We ask you to abstain from participating in any film or other event organized, hosted or funded, directly or indirectly, by Russian Federation. We urge you not to take part online or otherwise in any film festivals and cultural forums in the Russian state as members of FIPRESCI. Otherwise, you will indirectly legitimize all the horrors Ukraine is withstanding now and struggling with hybrid Russian aggression it has been enduring for the last eight years. We are asking you not to be silent and vocally support Ukraine whenever it’s possible.
This is joint message from film critics from Ukraine which include Ukrainian Film Critics Association members we were able to reach. It is only partial due to extreme conditions in which we all live and fight today.
Signed:
Alik Shpilyuk, Kateryna Slipchenko, Oleh Baturin, Alexandr Gusev, Roman Huba, Oksana Moussienko, Yuliia Kovalenko, Dmytro Sydorenko, Olha Sidorushkina, Yulia Kuznietsova, Stanislav Bytiutskyi, Lukian Halkin, Daria Badior, Anton Filatov, Nadia Zavarova, Dmytro Desiateryk, Nataliia Serebriakova, Anastasiya Lyakh, Aliona Penzii, Yaroslav Pidgora-Gviazdovsky, Ihor Hrabovych, Valerii Myrny, Anna Datsiuk, Oksana Voloshenyuk, Oleksii Pershko, Denis Budanov, Serhii Ksaverov, Natalia Moussienko, Kateryna Gorodnycha, Yurii Samusenko, Alex Malyshenko, Anton Frolov, Kyrylo Pyshchykov
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Here is a link to this letter on the FIPRESCI website: https://fipresci.org/news/ukrainian-letters/#alik.
There are also petitions for sanctioning Russian cinema from Ukrainian film professionals: https://www.change.org/p/film-institutions-and-film-professionals-call-for-a-boycott-of-russian-cinema