Nikita Mikhalkov: sanctions have hampered Moscow Film Festival

The political crisis engulfing Russia and the sanctions imposed by the US and Europe have hampered the Moscow International Film Festival, according to the event’s director, the veteran filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov.

In a speech at the opening of the 36th edition of the festival yesterday, Mikhalkov said: “The festival is not dying, but there’s a problem and that came about following the sanctions against us. In any case, it would be strange if the effects of the sanctions were felt throughout Russia but somehow not felt at the film festival. It’s frustrating, but there’s something positive that’s come out of it. I personally feel that there’s a real desire to be independent and express protest against how Russia’s being punished.”

Speaking to The Calvert Journal, Naiyla Golman, the curator of the festival’s short films category, said fewer foreign guests at this year’s festival in addition to a number of directors refusing to have their films shows in Russia had marred the event.

She said: “The short film category has definitely been affected by sanctions and political developments in Russia. We wanted to repeat part of last year’s programme, which saw Short Matters! — a touring programme from the European Film Academy of around ten shorts from international directors — screened at the Moscow festival. But we couldn’t do it, because just after the Crimea crisis happened, around 80% of the film directors involved in the programme said they refused to have their films screened in Russia for political reasons.”

The festival opened with a screening of the documentary film Red Army, dashing hopes that Andrey Zvyagintsev’s new film Leviathan would show instead. According to media speculation, the film, which won an award at the Cannes Film Festival for best screenplay, was not shown because its use of swearing contravened a recent law against profanity in books, films, music and plays.

Golman said: “Contrary to what some people think, the new law against the use of profanity in the arts had nothing to do with Zvyagintsev’s film not being screened. It was already shown at Kinotavr in Sochi, and the Moscow festival has strict rules about not showing films which have already featured in other big festivals. This law will be implemented from 1 July, so it doesn’t affect the Moscow film festival or Kinotavr. We have this last, happy month without it. After that I don’t know what will happen.”