European Film Academy Strongly Condemns Russian War, Excludes Russian Films From European Film Awards

The Berlin International Film Festival has joined fellow events including Cannes and Venice in saying it will not ban Russian movies at the next edition of its fest, but will block official Russian delegates.

Peter Debruge Chief Film CriticBack together in person after two years of going virtual during the pandemic, the Austin-based SXSW Film Festival has announced its juried prizes. As in previous editions, the awards show happened at the midpoint of the nine-day event, before SXSW’s music events suck much of the attention away from film screenings.The top prize in narrative feature competition went to “I Love My Dad,” written and directed by James Morosini, who also stars as a younger version of himself in this uncomfortable retelling of how he was catfished by his father (played by Patton Oswalt).“Morosini displays massive empathy as a filmmaker to get into the mind of the father he feels betrayed by, and also as an actor portraying the impact of that betrayal,” said the jury, who also gave special jury prizes to the cast and crew of “It Is in Us All” and Elizaveta Yankovskaya, star of the Russian film “Nika.” Best documentary feature honors went to director Rosa Ruth Boesten’s “Master of Light,” a portrait of once-incarcerated painter George Anthony Morton’s steps to rebuild his life after prison, which impressed its jury for its empathy as well.“With astonishing intimacy, the film’s visuals build an artful bridge between two- and three-dimensional realms that are deeply rooted and utterly transcendent,” the jury explained.

Naman Ramachandran Seven senior figures of the Ukrainian film industry, including 84-year-old doyenne Ada Rogovtseva, have spoken out against the Russian invasion of their country and have joined the numerous calls for a boycott of Russian culture. Ada Rogovtseva, actor (“Taras Bulba”), professor at the National University of Culture. Remains in Ukraine.I volunteer at home.

Kenneth Branagh and his wife Lindsay Brunnock cut a glamorous pair as they posed arm-in-arm on the red carpet at this year's BAFTA Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday. Director Sir Kenneth, 61, whose movie Belfast won the Outstanding British Film gong and was nominated in the Best Film category, looked dapper in a black tuxedo and crisp white shirt. Lindsay, 52, coordinated with her filmmaker partner by wearing a floor-length black dress with a leg split.

BAFTA 2022 Film Awards are taking place amid Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. And Millie Mackintosh showed solidarity with war-torn Ukraine as she wore a blue and yellow ribbon as she graced the red carpet at London's Albert Hall on Sunday. The Made in Chelsea star, 32, was the picture of elegance in a stunning blush one-shoulder gown, which featured a dramatic puff sleeve and a large bow cascading down her pencil skirt.

Video: Critics' Choice Awards (The Independent)Emotional video of Ryan Coogler meeting a young Black Panther fan shows why representation matters in moviesDisney releases first trailer for Obi-Wan KenobiJohnny Rotten unmasked as Jester on The Masked Singer USPatti Smith praises Greta Thunberg and the new generation's fight to force changeCarrie Underwood on 1DGrammys 2019: Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus sing 'Jolene' duetMorgan Wallen issues lengthy apology after racial slur incidentLGBTQ+ Florida senator makes tearful plea against 'Don't Say Gay' billJackie Weaver 'felt manipulated' during infamous parish council Zoom meetingEastenders viewers point out hilarious moment when Ruby Allens legs 'disappear'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 - Final TrailerBill Murray and Dan Aykroyd in original Ghostbusters promoDua Lipa celebrates International Women's Day with schoolgirls at museumRocketman - Trailer11-year-old Ukrainian refugee traveled alone 1000km to Slovakia to get to safetyMinisters questioned on net zero targets and climate summitsThe separate category of best British film comprises “After Love,” “Ali & Ava,” “Belfast,” “Boiling Point,” “Cyrano,” “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie,” “House of Gucci,” “Last Night in Soho,” “No Time to Die” and “Passing. ”The contenders for best actor are Cumberbatch, Adeel Akhtar for “Ali & Ava,” Mahershala Ali for “Swan Song,” Stephen Graham for “Boiling Point,” Leonardo DiCaprio for “Don’t Look Up” and Will Smith for “King Richard”Leading actress nominees are Lady Gaga for “House of Gucci,” Alana Haim for “Licorice Pizza,” Emilia Jones for “Coda,” Renate Reinsve for “The Worst Person in The World,” Joanna Scanlan for “After Love” and Tessa Thompson for “Passing.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Documentaries about the conflict in Ukraine, the Cuban migrant situation and the Palestinian refugee crisis were among top winners at MiradasDoc, Spain’s foremost documentary film festival which wrapped its 15th edition on March 12. Based in Tenerife, Canary Islands, the festival was an in-person event running March 4-12, while its market (March 8-11) remained virtual for the second consecutive year.The best international documentary prize went to “Option Zero” (“La Opcion Cero”) by Cuban filmmaker Marcel Beltran while the best debut feature award was extended to “Trenches” by French journalist Loup Bureau who has covered the Arab Spring in Egypt, the Syrian War and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in the Donbas region. “Trenches” follows the intrepid young men and women who are fighting Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine’s Donbas region.

The Sarajevo Film Festival is the latest international film organization to show its support for Ukraine as the festival has announced it will include Ukrainian films and filmmakers in its regional programs. The beloved European festival originally started off as regional event for Balkan films and has since evolved to incorporate Southeast Europe and the Causcasus region.

EXCLUSIVE: The biggest Ukrainian media organizations have penned an open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urging sanctions on all Russian TV channels.

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.

An independent Scotland would be better off staying out of the NATO military alliance, the Scottish Greens have said.

Ellise Shafer The Toronto Film Festival has banned all official Russian delegations from its 2022 edition following the country’s invasion of Ukraine, but will welcome work from independent Russian filmmakers into their programming.“As an arts organization dedicated to transforming the way people see the world through film, we support artists and their freedom of expression. TIFF will continue to include films from independent Russian filmmakers in our programming at the Toronto International Film Festival and year-round at TIFF Bell Lightbox,” festival organizers said in a statement to Variety on Thursday.

The Co-Founder of the Ukrainian Film Academy has been named Jury President for this year’s Series Mania.

Cannes Film Festival has released a statement in response to the war in Ukraine saying it will not accept “Russian delegations” this year. Scroll down to read it in full.

The European Film Academy (EFA) has joined growing calls in the international cinema community for a boycott of Russian films.

Naman Ramachandran The European Film Academy (EFA) has issued an unequivocal condemnation of President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine after Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa expressed his dissatisfaction with their earlier statement and resigned his EFA membership.On Feb. 24, after Russia invaded Ukraine, the EFA had issued a statement pledging their support to the Ukrainian filmmaking community.

Glasgow Film Festival has revealed that it has pulled two Russian titles from its line up due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The Glasgow Film Festival has withdrawn two Russian titles from its 2022 program in response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Stockholm Film Festival, due to run November 9-20, says it will not program any films that benefit from Russian state funding due to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Change.org petition created Friday, the Academy asked several European and international filmmaking institutions, producers and distributors to terminate business dealings with the Russian Federation. “The outbreak of war in Ukraine is an attack on a civilized world with a democratic system, a crime committed in the heart of Europe,” reads the statement.