Confrest the war

Russian filmmakers respond to the appeal of Ukrainian colleagues

Following Ukrainian journalists and representatives of the museum community with an open letter, filmmakers addressed their Russian colleagues. 25 people - directors, actors, operators and film experts from different cities of Ukraine say that they have become hostages of the ambitions of politicians who pursue the goals far from the interests of people.

Let us give the most important lines of appeal: “Are we really powerless to resist the war, is our brotherhood to be destroyed? We urge you to say“ no ”to the plans to disconnect our peoples, sow enmity, which can catastrophically affect our great and glorious art. We believe in the mind, we believe in the power of the truth and memory that connects us with the strongest bonds.” Under the message of the signature of well -known people in Russia. Among them are Kira Muratova, Roman Balayan and Larisa Kadochnikova.

There were many Russian cinema figures, which I turned to and who refused comments. They admitted: they are finally confused and do not understand what is really happening, who is right and who is to blame. There is a lot of information, but it is so contradictory! Here are the opinions of those who have a clear position.

Russian screenwriter Viktor Merezhko said that he does not share the evaluation of events in Ukraine in a letter:

- I basically disagree with them! This is the decision of the President of the Russian Federation Putin, the decision of the state. I do not accept the revolution that happened in Ukraine. Pay attention, I say correctly - in Ukraine. My roots, of course, go there, my mother was a Ukrainian, my parents, two brothers and sister are buried there. Nevertheless, I believe that power cannot, especially in our civilized time, is transmitted by a revolutionary way, by seizure. I believe that the people who have come to power in Ukraine now did not have the right to do this, especially after the agreement with the opposition was signed. It was necessary either to wait for re -election, or to appoint new presidential elections. Russia is not going to introduce troops. Yes, such a right is given to Putin in case of emergency situations, but fortunately, there are no such situations now. I live many relatives in Ukraine, I call up with him. This worries me, of course, I don’t care what is happening there, how the situation will develop. God forbid, there will be an economic collapse, which is quite possible, hunger and excitement will begin. I would not want this extremely. But to appeal to the cinematic community so that we take the side of people who have seized the power in Ukraine unauthorized in Kyiv, so that we take the side of Yatsenyuk, Klitschko, Tyagnibok and Yarosh ... I am an absolute opponent to support the appeal of my Ukrainian colleagues. Russia acts as Russia should do, protecting its citizens in Ukraine, citizens of its country, how it makes a normal, civilized, powerful state. I am the number of powerful states. There were problems earlier, now the country got to their feet.

- You say “your citizens”, do you mean precisely Russian citizens who live in Ukraine?

- Yes. Who has passports and nationality - Russian. I mean Crimea, Donetsk region, Kharkov region, Lugansk, Cherkasy. It was written in the Soviet passport - Russian. This is enough for my state to protect me if I lived in Ukraine.

Director of Mosfilm, film director Karen Shakhnazarov, says that the letter of Ukrainian colleagues seemed to him not very convincing:

-I respect them with respect, I personally know some of those who signed, unfortunately, I don’t know, but I can’t say that this somehow convinces me. In this letter, only one -sided point of view is expressed, in my opinion. It seems to me that the events that take place in Kyiv are much more complicated to interpret only as clearly as they are interpreted in a letter.

- You mention the Ukrainian capital, but now the center of events has moved to Crimea. For filmmakers, this is a special place, in Soviet times, much was removed there in kind.

- Yes, Crimea is a famous place. In principle, I sympathize with the Crimeans, I am understanding about what they are doing, and do not really understand how, under the current conditions, you can make a complaint against them.

- Are you going to answer this letter?

- No, I do not see the need for correspondence between cultural figures. There are quite different positions now, and it is clear that in such correspondence they cannot be clarified. Rather, some personal dialogue is needed. But I personally do not know what to answer and what to call my Ukrainian colleagues. They have their own position, it is due to their understanding of the situation, I have my own. By the way, I do not answer for all my colleagues, everyone can have their own view of things. Whoever wants to - can answer. However, I'm not going to write anything and sign anything. I express my position openly and frankly in the press when they ask me, and this is quite enough.

According to film critic Viktor Matizen , the Ukrainian appeal found a response from the members of the Russian Union of Russia:

- Just now there is a collection of signatures under a letter of solidarity with our brothers in Ukraine. Andrei Smirnov, Boris Khlebnikov, Vitaliy Mansky, Pavel Finn , chairman of the movie union Andrei Proshkin and others have already signed.

This text briefly says that we know the truth, we are on the side of truth, and we are with you. This is the official position of the movie union. As for the Union of Cinematographers of Russia, led by Mikhalkov, I think they will not dare to answer Ukrainian filmmakers, they are cowards. Or maybe just people who stand on the side of Putin in this situation.

The film producer and composer Andrei Sigle calls the authors of letters from Ukraine "family souls":

- The films that they make are certainly close and understandable to us. And I absolutely share their concern about the fact that the versatile policy pays less and less attention to the people who inhabit their countries, and are less and less considered their needs. The commissioning of troops into a friendly state is an absolutely hasty and unprepared step. It was impossible to do that! Especially when the question concerns the neighbors with whom you have a long -standing relationship, in no case should you make such sharp and unreasonable movements. I wish you all patience, endurance and understanding. We must better hear each other and talk to each other more. But in no case do not bring to the finger. It seems to me that if this happens, the most bad consequences will be for many decades.

You know, I have not cursed with my relatives and friends with my surroundings for a long time. They do not understand absolutely nothing and believe in a frenzied lies, which pours from TV screens. This is just some kind of situation! Just grotesque. I am usually a rather restrained person, I am not trying to impose my point of view, but I have already quarreled several times with people who seemed to me by my like -minded people who think, as I, think, how I, they feel like me. It turns out that even inside us this enmity crawls out. I do not understand where this desire to trample, to trample their neighbors, to be from above. Where does it come from? Probably, something in recent years has broken in us, in our feelings to life, in our feelings, which is true, that there is a lie. It's very scary! This does not apply to Ukraine, but first of all, our understanding that there is good, that there is evil, our internal consent with ourselves.

The fact that you interview people and identify their positions is very important. Today, mind you, even people often do not express their position. It was in the Soviet Union. What happens to people - I do not understand. Why do they break so quickly, so quickly forget everything?