The San Sebastián International Film festival has issued a statemnet saying it will consider films from Russian filmmakers who “oppose aggression committed by their country”. The festival is due to take place from September 16-24.
“Our selection processes evaluate films on an individual basis, never on the basis of their nationality, even when they come from countries with governments that violate fundamental rights, and we will continue to do so in these turbulent times,” said the festival.
“We cannot make all the citizens of a country responsible for the decisions of their governments. Often, as is the case of the thousands of Russian citizens who have taken to the streets in protest against the war, these citizens not only disagree with their government’s decisions, but also fight against them.
“For all these reasons, we will always rely on the power of the Festival as a loudspeaker for dissident voices, which seek to express themselves artistically in countries hostile to this right, thereby encouraging democratic debates across the international arena. Those Russian voices that oppose the aggression committed by their country will always have a place at the San Sebastian Film Festival.”
Film festivals have been divided on the issue of whether to select Russian films since the country invaded Ukraine. The Glasgow Film Festival axed screenings of two Russian titles (Kirill Sokolov’s No Looking Back and Lado Kvataniya’s The Execution) earlier this month, but Venice said it would welcome filmmakers “who oppose the current regime in Russia”.
Meanwhile Cannes will bar official Russian delegations and individuals with links to the Russian government, but left the door open for individual Russian filmmakers to attend.
No comments yet