Oscar-nominated director appeals to Russians to stop online piracy

Russian director Konstantin Bronzit has called upon Russians to end unauthorised distribution of his Oscar-nominated short film We Can’t Live Without Cosmos.

“Today I’m in despair and I’m asking for your help,” Bronzit wrote on social media sites Facebook and VKontakte. “Please, help me to save my new short film We Can’t Live Without Cosmos. It was stolen from some festival or other, uploaded to the internet and ended up on VKontakte.”

According to Bronzit, online piracy is “killing” his film, as the fact that it is available online could make it ineligible for participation in international festivals.

“Without being shown at festivals, the film will just fade into obscurity,” the director said. “Save my film and my four years of work on it.”

We Can’t Live Without Cosmos has been shortlisted in the Best Short Film - Animated category for the 2016 Oscars. It follows the story of two friends and their paths to achieving their childhood dream of going to space.

The 2016 Academy Awards are set to take place on 28 February in Hollywood.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter