Russian social media giant VKontakte speaks out in support of Matilda

Social media site VKontakte, often dubbed the Russian Facebook, has moved to support Alexey Uchitel’s controversial upcoming historical drama film Matilda.

According to a statement by VKontakte representative Yevgeny Krasnikov to Russian magazine Afisha, the company decided to publish information about Matilda after attending a closed screening, held by the team behind the film.

“Despite the fact that the film is in the process of production [...] one can appreciate the serious attitude and scrupulous approach of the creators to their own work. Our site has always been open to dialogue and opinions, so we decided to support the picture, giving the opportunity for VKontakte users to form their own ideas about Matilda,” Mr Krasnikov told Afisha.

VKontakte has launched an official public profile for the film, which will soon feature exclusive materials about production, as well as live broadcasts from the premiere of Matilda at St Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre, which is scheduled for 6 October 2017.

Matilda centres on ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska and her relationship with Nicholas II. The unreleased film has already been the subject of considerable controversy and criticism both from representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church and government officials. Bishop Tikhon (Shevkunov), often referred to as the personal confessor of Russian President Vladimir Putin, dubbed the movie “slander” in its portrayal of Nicholas II, while earlier this year Russian State Duma deputy Natalia Poklonskaya collected 100,000 messages and signatures from citizens and officials against the film.

Source: Afisha (in Russian)