Russia will not be submitting a film to the 2023 Oscars in protest of the United States aiding Ukraine. Vladimir Putin’s disastrous invasion has not gone well, prompting Russia to further isolate itself from the West. However, the head of Russia’s Oscar committee is not thrilled about the move. According to Pavel Tchoukhraï, the decision was made behind his back by the Russian Film Academy, and he’s since resigned in protest.
Via The Hollywood Reporter, this move follows Russia’s accusation of the U.S. “directly intervening in the war.” Here’s more:
Russia has regularly submitted films for the Oscars and Russian films have a strong track record with the US Academy. Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Loveless was a 2017 Oscar nominee. Kantemir Balagov’s Beanpole (2019) and Andrei Konchalovsky’s Dear Comrades, were both shortlisted for the best international feature honor.
Russia’s military invasion led many major film festivals to ban films backed by the Russian state. There have also been calls for a blanket boycott of all Russian films, though few major festivals have taken that step.
The Oscar news arrives after a series non-stop humiliating headlines for Vladimir Putin. The Russian president has reportedly arrested an alarming number of protestors who will be shipped off to the front lines in Ukraine where the invasion is going so badly that even Russian state TV is calling out Putin. There has also been talk of oligarchs overthrowing Putin, which has led to a number of mysterious deaths recently.
However, Putin’s reaction to the failed invasion has raised concerns amongst the international community. The Russian leader has been threatening to use nuclear weapons, and many believe he’ll follow through on the threat to appear “victorious.”
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)