The Defenders of Russian Culture in Cannes


IThe Russian film “Tchaikovsky’s Wife” was screened in the Cannes competition, the director Kirill Serebrennikov gave a press conference and announced that Russian culture was being banned everywhere, that shouldn’t happen. She is characterized by her interest in the life of the little people, which makes her so humanistic. The title character of Serebrennikov’s film is not exactly a small man, but Serebrennikov did not realize how involuntarily funny he sounded and went on undeterred with his plea for small people: sanctions on billionaire Roman Abramovich should be lifted, he is conducting peace negotiations for Russia with Ukraine, be a major patron of the arts and fund independent cinema. The sanctions against Abramovich were imposed because of his proximity to the Kremlin, and for a long time he was even considered one of the key figures in establishing the Kremlin’s influence in the West.

The President of the European Film Academy, Agnieszka Holland from Poland, had criticized the festival’s decision to let a Russian film take part in the competition during the Russian war of aggression as inappropriate. Serebrennikov has now confirmed that he too has no sense of what is appropriate. One should feel sorry for the attacked Ukrainians, he said, but also for the families of Russian military personnel who have lost their main breadwinners. It is up to the culture to support them.



Source link -68