Kvikmyndastofnanir Norðurlandanna hafa gert ótímabundið hlé á samstarfi við Rússland vegna yfirstandandi innrásar í Úkraínu.
Fjallað er um þetta hjá Nordic Film and TV News:
The Danish Film Institute and the Finnish Film Foundation both posted official statement on Tuesday, explaining their positions.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has in recent days triggered a series of sanctions and boycotts, including in the field of culture. The Danish Minister for Culture, Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen, has instructed all government institutions within the arts and culture to cease all cooperation with Russia, and the Minister calls on Danish cultural institutions in general, to take the same consistent line,” said the Institute.
Regarding specific film-related activities, the Danish Film Institute said it had withdrawn Bille August’s film The Pact from the programme of the Moscow Film Festival (April 21-28), and had ‘no other collaborations” planned with Russia, including co-productions. „Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a tragic breach of everything that shapes a civilised world, and a tragedy that must be condemned from all sides. Of course, we must not, even in the field of film, work with Russia under the current circumstances,” said the Institute’s CEO Claus Ladegaard.
A similar message was published by the Finnish Film Foundation on March 1st.
“Due to Russia’s war on Ukraine, the Finnish Film Foundation has cut off all cooperation with the Russian film industry,” said the Foundation, mentioning the suspension of co-productions with Russia, although no more than one or two projects associating the two nations are produced each year. Urging local producers not to send their films to Russian events, the Foundation also said it would not submit any Finnish film to Russian film events (including the Moscow Film Festival) and neither cover attendance costs to Russian events, for the time being.
Aware of the risk of making Russian filmmakers collateral victims of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, Lasse Saarinen, head of the Finnish Film Foundation said: “I truly hope that when everything calms down a little bit, we can separate fine Russian filmmakers from the state’s invasion. Right now, it is difficult.”
Iceland also took a firm stand in solidarity of Ukraine. Laufey Guðjónsdóttir, director of the Icelandic Film Centre told nordicfilmandtvnews.com: “In the light of the sad and shocking events in Ukraine, the government of Iceland has condemned the war led by Russia and announces its support to Ukraine. The same applies for the Icelandic Film Centre, and we will not collaborate with Russia under the circumstances,” she said, adding that no co-productions with Russia are currently under way.
Regarding festivals, the head of the Icelandic Film Centre said: “Icelandic films have been selected for various festivals through the years, and we have had a good relationship with many individual artists and curators in the film sector. We will not be working on that level either during these times. Let‘s hope for a peace soon,” she added.
Contacted by nordicfilmandtvnews.com, the Swedish Film Institute’s press office referred to Culture Minister Jeanette Gustafsdotter’s statement to press agency TT, in which she urges not to support the Russian government through cultural cooperation”, click here.
The Institute’s interim CEO Mathias Rosengren also said: “We have no collaboration with Russia in the field of film and will not enter into any new one.”
As for the Norwegian Film Institute, the head of the International Department Dag Asbjørnsen said the film body “stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people”, and is in the process of determining its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
