Venice Festival Hosts Russian Émigré Filmmakers — SkimNews
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- Venice Film Festival included “DAU” in competition at its 83rd edition, prompting Ukrainian ministries and Italy’s Ukrainian embassy to criticize the selection on Aug. 17 over alleged Russian state ties.
- Alberto Barbera rejected claims that Khrzhanovsky’s film was Russian or pro-Putin propaganda, while the director said it was not an instrument of Russian cultural policy.
- Ilya Khrzhanovsky, who renounced his Russian citizenship in 2024 and supports Ukraine, said the project’s financiers were later sanctioned but ended their involvement years ago.
- DAU is a German production co-produced with France and Sweden, and Khrzhanovsky says it has received no Russian funding for seven years.
- Andrey Zvyagintsev won the Cannes Grand Prix for “Minotaur,” while Nastia Korkia’s “Short Summer” received a prize at Venice during the past year.
- Victor Kossakovsky is premiering “Holly Wood Dust” out of competition at Venice, continuing a Russian-film presence led largely by directors living in exile.
- Alexander Rodnyansky, now based in France, was sentenced in absentia to 8.5 years by a Moscow court over his opposition to the war and continues supporting dissenting Russian filmmakers.
Why it matters: For Ukrainian critics, the seven-year cutoff undercuts the premise that the Venice entry represents current Kremlin financing. For European festivals, its German production and French and Swedish co-producers make origin, present financing and political opposition separate tests when deciding who can return.
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