Paramount Pauses Russian Operations, Makes $1 Million Donation for Humanitarian Relief

Lise Pedersen “Novorossiya” by Enrico Parenti and Luca Gennari, which had its world premiere this week at CPH:DOX, is a rare film that shows the ongoing conflict in Ukraine’s Eastern Donbas region from the Russian perspective.Gennari, an experienced cinematographer, was shocked at the way the war in the Luhansk and Donetsk region, where pro-Russian separatists have proclaimed the state of Novorossiya (literally “New Russia”), no longer received any media attention once the Maidan revolution was over.In 2017, he decided to head to the Donbas region with his camera to see what life was like there.The film follows the parallel stories of a handful of characters, ranging from a communist U.S. fighter from Texas to a young Ukrainian soldier, a captain in the separatist army who dreams of rebuilding the Soviet Union, an opera singer from the Donetsk opera house, two young men from a heavy metal band and two elderly women who live in a bunker.

Chulpan Khamatova, a leading Russian actress who has also made several international film appearances, has given an interview saying that she has gone into exile in Latvia, following her country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorEpic Games, after announcing Sunday that it was donating all proceeds from its popular “Fortnite” game toward humanitarian relief for people affected by Russia’s war on Ukraine, said Monday it has already raised $36 million for the effort.According to Epic, “Fortnite” proceeds from March 20-April 3, 2022 will go toward Ukraine relief. In addition, Microsoft’s Xbox is joining the effort and will commit net proceeds from all sales of “Fortnite” content on Microsoft Store during the time period.Epic said the money is going to four organizations: UNICEF; the U.N.’s World Food Programme; UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency; and Direct Relief, a nongovernmental organization that says it has deployed more than 48 tons of medical aid to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s war.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy, the Ukraine-born former Dancing With the Stars pro who earlier this month chronicled on social media his flight home to Los Angeles via Poland from war-ravaged Kyiv, has returned to Poland to assist in humanitarian relief efforts.

Fresh drone footage has revealed the moment Russia launched a hypersonic missile strike on Ukraine yesterday.

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are thanking fans for reaching a major milestone.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterSteven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw have donated $1 million to support humanitarian relief in Ukraine following Russia’s unprovoked invasion.Through their philanthropy Hearthland Foundation, Spielberg and Capshaw have allocated the money to several organizations in and near Ukraine, including the Polish Red Cross, Polish Humanitarian Action, World Central Kitchen, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and Urgent Action Fund.After Russia’s attack on Ukraine displaced more than a million refugees, Hollywood heavyweights have committed to raising funds and awareness to help those in need. Earlier this month, Mila Kunis, who was born in Ukraine, and her husband, Ashton Kutcher, launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $30 million to go toward relief efforts that help Ukrainian families.

A set of jewellery will raise more than £1,000 to help the humanitarian relief effort in Ukraine.

Paramount Global is temporarily halting its operations in Russia and giving $1 million to support humanitarian relief for Ukraine.

Team,Like many of you, I am closely following the devastating, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The resulting humanitarian crisis and its ripple effects on the lives of millions of people across Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and in Russia itself, is heartbreaking to witness.Since the beginning of this crisis, our teams across the world have been working around the clock to determine the best, and most importantly – safest – ways we as a business can show our support for all those impacted.

In light of the ongoing war in Ukraine, sources tell Deadline that WME will not be hosting its agency’s Oscar party this year, and instead will be donating $1 million  to UNICEF to support families in Ukraine and other areas displaced by war.

McDonald's will close its restaurants and halt its operations in Russia temporarily following the invasion of Ukraine.

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.

Ashton Kutcher and his wife Mila Kunis always look like the most adorable, loved-up couple! The A-list pair stepped out in Los Angeles for a lunch date on Saturday (March 5), and were spotted wearing twinning ensembles. The Ranch actor rocked a gray tee and black joggers, while the Bad Moms vet donned a simple gray hoodie over shorts.

Queen Elizabeth’s cousin, Prince Michael of Kent, is returning his Russian honour.

Mila Kunis, who was born in Ukraine, is opening up about the war in her homeland for the first time.