Ukrainian Filmmakers Call For International Aid: “This Is A Full-Scale War… It Is Time To Fight”
25.02.2022 - 13:23
/ deadline.com
As the people of Ukraine wake up to the reality of war, many of the country’s top filmmakers and industry professionals have issued statements pleading for international intervention.
Those contributing include Oleg Sentsov, the director and activist who spent years in Russian jail on charges that Amnesty International described as “fabricated”, Maryna Er Gorbach, whose credits include the 2022 Sundance and Berlin premiere Klondike, and Anna Machukh, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Film Academy and the Odesa International Film Festival.
With respect to the plight of those in the Ukrainian film business, after a night where Russia began an assault on capital city Kyiv, Deadline has chosen to run each statement in full:
Collective statement:
“Today, Russia launched a full-scale war against Ukraine. Now, more than ever, we need the help of the international community and anyone who understands that tomorrow war may be at your door. We’ve talked about the war in eastern Ukraine in our films for eight years. You watched them at the festivals. But this is not a film, but our reality. And today this reality has spread throughout our country without exception. Ukrainian cinematographers appeal to you not to be silent and not to stand aside. They are asking for help and certain actions that can help Ukraine regain peace.”
Oleg Sentsov, director of Rhino::
“Putin does not dwell on Ukraine. This is a full-scale war. This is a challenge to the whole democratic world. We are not only defending our land, we are resisting the impending tyranny. The time of concern is over. It is time to fight for freedom and truth.”
Valentyn Vasyanovych, director of Reflection and Atlantis:
“I stay in Kyiv. I want to be among people who are aware of their