The Cannes Film Festival has become the latest organization to express its solidarity with Ukraine and announce boycotts against Russia.
In a statement sent on Tuesday, the festival said that, unless the Russian invasion ends with conditions acceptable to Ukraine, it would not welcome any Russian delegations or anyone connected to the Russian government to its 2022 edition in May. However, it threw its support behind Russian artists and film professionals who have “never ceased to fight against” Putin’s regime, and made no comment about whether it would ban individual Russian films from the official selection.
The move by Cannes follows a series of swift actions from the global film and TV industry in solidarity with Ukraine, with many companies beginning to sanction Russia in the wake of the invasion. Disney, Sony, Warner Bros. and Paramount have pulled or paused planned theatrical releases in the country, and the Stockholm and Glasgow film festivals are boycotting Russian state-backed films from their programs. International television market MIPTV has also condemned the Russian invasion, saying that it would follow French sanctions, a move likely to mean there will be little to no Russian presence at the Cannes TV market.
Related Stories
Read the full statement from the Cannes Film Festival below.
As the world has been hit by a heavy crisis in which a part of Europe finds itself in a state of war, the Festival de Cannes wishes to extend all its support to the people of Ukraine and all those who are in its territory.
However modest as it is, we join our voices with those who oppose this unacceptable situation and denounce the attitude of Russia and its leaders.
Our thoughts go out in particular to the Ukrainian artists and film industry professionals, as well as their families whose lives are now in danger. There are those whom we’ve never met, and those whom we’ve come to know and welcomed to Cannes, who came with works that say much about Ukraine’s history and the present.
During this winter of 2022, the Festival de Cannes has entered its preparation phase. Unless the war of assault ends in conditions that will satisfy the Ukrainian people, it has been decided that we will not welcome official Russian delegations nor accept the presence of anyone linked to the Russian government.
However, we would like to salute the courage of all those in Russia who have taken risks to protest against the assault and invasion of Ukraine. Among them are artists and film professionals who have never ceased to fight against the contemporary regime, who cannot be associated with these unbearable actions, and those who are bombing Ukraine.
Loyal to its history that started in 1939 in resistance to the fascist and Nazi dictatorship, the Festival de Cannes will always serve artists and industry professionals that raise their voices to denounce violence, repression and injustices, for the main purpose to defend peace and liberty.
