Ukraine slams inclusion of Russian director's DAU at Venice Film Festival
Ukraine's foreign and culture ministries issued a joint statement criticizing the inclusion of Russian director Ilya Khrzhanovsky's film DAU in the Venice Film Festival program on Aug. 18.
The foreign and culture ministries of Ukraine have issued a strong statement criticizing the inclusion of a Russian director's film in the main competition at the Venice Film Festival. They argue that this decision sends a troubling signal given Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine and the festival's potential to legitimize Kremlin-funded projects.
The ministries emphasized that the festival's decisions carry significant weight in shaping international cultural recognition and legitimacy, and that culture cannot be separated from politics or the interests of those financing it. They pointed to the film's financing by a Russian businessman under sanctions and its director's ties to the Kremlin, as well as the film's exclusive Soviet portrayal of Kharkiv, the city where it was filmed.
The statement called on the festival and the broader cultural community to recognize Russia's use of culture as an instrument of hybrid warfare and to avoid treating Kremlin-backed projects as politically neutral.
Written by urgent.news from New Voice of Ukraine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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