Ukrainian Producer Denis Ivanov Gives Interview From Kyiv, Slams Film Festival Response To Invasion: “Screening Russian Films Now Is Supporting Putin”

25.03.2022 - 14:17 / deadline.com

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.

Speaking to Deadline from Kyiv, where he is bravely sticking it out despite imminent danger, the producer tells us he won’t leave the city he loves and will resist the invasion in “all possible ways.” That’s despite his sister’s flat in the city being destroyed by a Russian missile last week.

Ivanov pulls no punches in expressing his frustration towards the response from the film community to date, which has seen all major festivals decline to participate in the boycott called for by the Ukrainian Film Academy. Simply put, he believes showcasing Russian culture at the moment is “a betrayal” of his country.

The producer acknowledges that there are Russian filmmakers and film critics who have taken part in protests, some of whom have been arrested, but he says those people understand a temporary “cancelling” of Russian culture is necessary.

“Where to draw the right line is obvious – suspend presentations of Russian films until peace in Ukraine prevails,” he tells us below.

DEADLINE: Regarding your personal situation, where are you right now and how are you staying safe?

DENIS IVANOV: I’m now in Kyiv, working and volunteering. It’s hard to say anything about safety – I think most of the people who stay in the city understand that it’s a lottery, your house could be bombed any time. My sister’s flat in Kyiv was destroyed last week by a missile strike. However, this is my city, the city I love, and, as many other citizens, I will resist, in all possible ways.

DEADLI