European festivals promote Ukrainian films in response to Russian invasion

A Ukrainian band has posted a video to social media asking to be included in the Concert For Ukraine being staged by ITV and STV later this month.The video posted by Antytila addressed Ed Sheeran, who has been confirmed as one of the acts to play the upcoming concert, which will raise monies for the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. Their message to Sheeran was recorded on the streets of Kyiv where the band members – wearing combat gear in the video – are part of the army fighting against the Russian invasion.They stated: “Hello Ed, greetings from Kyiv! We are Ukrainian musicians of the Ukrainian band Antytila – one of the most popular Ukrainian bands with a lot of fans in Ukraine and all over the world. In peacetime, our concerts gather at stadiums.

EXCLUSIVE: Influential Ukrainian film producer Denis Ivanov, whose credits include Sergey Loznitsa’s Donbass and Oleg Sentsov’s Rhino, says the lack of support from major film festivals for a boycott of Russian culture is tantamount to complicity in Vladimir Putin’s war.

Sean Penn is showing his support for Ukraine.

Mila Kunis opened up about how she feels about the ongoing war between her home country of Ukraine and Russia in an interview with Maria Shriver for her digital series, #ConversationsAboveTheNoise. "It’s been irrelevant to me that I come from Ukraine. It never mattered," she said.  "So much so that I’ve always said I’m Russian.

Protesters have gathered in Piccadilly Gardens for the third weekend in a row to show their support for the people of Ukraine.

Christie Brinkley is drawing attention to the dangers of nuclear radiation from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, describing the perilous situation as “a game of Russian roulette” that should concern the entire world.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are paying a visit.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentAlmost two weeks into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Europe’s film industry continues to parse the complexities of a boycott on Russian cinema in order to express solidarity with the Ukrainian film community.While some film festivals, such as Stockholm and Glasgow, haven’t hesitated in boycotting Russian state-funded films outright, others like Cannes and Venice are taking a more nuanced approach, banning official delegations, but not necessarily Russian films and directors.The war’s more immediate effect, however, is that Ukrainian cinema is set to gain an increased visibility in the festival arena and beyond.On Monday evening, Rome’s Cinema Troisi hosted a free screening in collaboration with the Venice Film Festival of Ukrainian director Valentyn Vasynovych’s “Reflection” (pictured), set during the war in Donbass, in eastern Ukraine, in 2014. The film, which premiered in competition on the Lido last September, “asks, with brutal austerity, what happens to the soul of a man — and a nation — at war,” as critic Jessica Kiang put it in her Variety review.The Rome event, introduced by Venice Biennale president Roberto Cicutto, is being followed by other screenings of “Reflection,” organized by the fest in Italy.

For love of country. Mila Kunis, Maksim Chmerkovskiy and more Ukrainian celebrities are taking a stand and showing support for their homeland amid the unrest in Ukraine.

EXCLUSIVE: Leading Ukrainian journalists have spotlighted the challenges of covering what has become a warzone overnight, as they fight to battle Russian propaganda while facing heart-wrenching personal choices.

Less than two weeks ago, Dmytro Pidruchnyi was competing at the Winter Olympics in Ukraine’s national colors. Now he’s wearing a military uniform and ballistic helmet.

statement in solidarity with Ukraine and condemned Russia’s military aggression amid calls for boycotts, specifically for artists featured in an art pavilion and exhibition that begins in April (Russia withdrew from the art pavilion earlier this week). But they clarified that they will not “shut its doors to those who defend freedom of expression.” “La Biennale is also close to all those in Russia who are courageously protesting against the war.

Consumers attempting to purchase Apple products on the company’s Russian storefront are now getting an “unavailable” message for every product, according to CNBC. The company also removed Russian state-controlled outlets RT News and Sputnik News from its App Store, except in Russia.

DirecTV has dropped RT America, the sister network to Russia Today, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Steven Seagal wants to see peace between Russia and Ukraine.

Members of the Ukrainian music community yesterday called on Apple Music and Spotify to allow artists to include political messaging in their artwork on the streaming platforms in response to Russia’s invasion of their country.As the Russian army continues and escalates its military assault on Ukraine, President Putin’s regime is pursing a prolific propaganda campaign within Russia in a bid to hide the motives for and scale of the invasion. Ukrainian musicians want to pursue every possible way of informing Russian citizens about what is happening on the ground, including via the digital platforms that have an audience in Russia.