Fear and courage in Anapa

Ukrainian filmmakers supported Oleg Sentsov at the festival in Russia

Ukrainian director Marina Vroda refused to award the film "Kinokoshki" in Anapa in protest against the sentence to her colleague Oleg Sentsov. A poster in support of Sentsov brought to the final ceremony, but the guards took him away. She went to the stage with the sign "Freedom Sentsov."

Vroda stated that she refuses the diploma "For the power of utterance" awarded to her for the short film "Snails", until Oleg Sentsov was released . Her performance was met by applause. Ukrainian director Katerina Ekhnostai, awarded a special prize for the short film "at a distance", called on filmmakers to make everything in their power to free Sentsov. She was also applauded.

"Film" - an open festival of the CIS and Baltic Cinema Cinema, has been held in Anapa since 1992.

At the end of August, Oleg Sentsov was sentenced by the Russian court to 20 years in a strict regime colony on charges of terrorist attacks and other subversive activities of Crimea annexed by Russia. Amnesty International and the Russian human rights center Memorial recognized Sentsov political prisoners. Marina Vroda and Katerina Gornostai told Radio Liberty about her experience of performance in Anapa in defense of the Ukrainian political prisoner.

- Many Ukrainian cultural figures refuse to travel to Russia now while war is going on. Do you think this is wrong?

If I lived in Moscow and was a Russian woman, I would not be able to do it

Katerina Ermine: There was such a situation with the film " Euromaidan. Chernova Installation ". He was taken to Artdokfest to Moscow last year. It was necessary for someone to represent it. This film has 10 authors, and everyone refused to go. They offered me, and I said that I would be happy to go, because I have not been to Moscow for a year, since the Maidan, I wanted to go and see the people who supported me while there was a Maidan and then. People who have no relations with Russia never lived there, who have no friends there, perceive Russia as a holistic evil, the reason for our grief in Ukraine. But I know that in Russia there are people who are fighting for us and for themselves. I went precisely because of them. In Anapa, in principle, too, because I was already at this festival, I know these selectors and love them very much. In Anapa, everyone who is engaged in a short meter is very living people, for the sake of which they should go there. And I really wanted to see what is happening in our short cinema. The conversations that the participants of the short program were conducted, of course, were on all topics, on this one too, they very inspired, because you see that these are people who do not watch TV and understand everything. One of the participants was from Belarus, he was in prison for seven days to participate in Belarusian rallies, his wife sat for ten days for those rallies when people applauded in the square . Another participant too. It seems to me that for this we need festivals so that we speak, interact, understand each other. It is harder not to know and not see, then you can come up with anything. And when you talk to people, it is much easier to tolerate. It can be seen that there is great support and anxiety in people, there is hope.

- Nevertheless, only you, directors from Ukraine, openly made the stage in support of Oleg Sentsov. It is remarkable that you performed, but it is sad that Russian filmmakers do not dare to talk about it out loud.

Katerina Ermine

Katerina Ermine: We could not help but speak. I understood that Russian filmmakers would never do this. I don’t know if they had to do it. Probably yes. But I remember how scared to be at rallies in Moscow is much worse than in Kyiv. It is very difficult for people in Ukraine to explain this. They say: "Why don't they go to their Maidan? Why don't they do the way we are?" And I remember very well how it is in Moscow: there is no such feeling that if you are standing here, someone will stand behind your back and hold you, if that. When the police go, puts everyone in the subway, then you have no way out, you are retreating. Absolute hopelessness was on this swamp square, on the arena. If I lived in Moscow and was a Russian woman, I would not be able to do it.

- And how did the audience react to your demarche? Everyone applauded or was there any confusion, ill-wishes?

Katerina Ermine: It seemed to me that there was confusion, although I had very poor vision, I did not see people in the hall well. I remember the girl in the front row who began to smile when she heard it. Then people came up and said: we are with you. There were people who asked why we did it. But in such a way that the conversation was in principle impossible. The man says: "He was put on him, that means there is something." I say: "Let us decide, because this is a person from our country, let you give it to us, and we will judge him by our laws." - "No, they put him down, then he must sit." I say: "Listen, he is a film director, he is not a criminal." - "Do you know him, are you familiar with him? Where did you get him? In the Crimea? Crimea was always Russian." I don't know how to continue this conversation.

Marina Vroda: I first refused to go to the festival, but the people I knew invited me. I said you know that I have a position, if it is nothing, then I will come because I want to meet you. The festival takes place on the basis called "Fairy-2", this is not in the center of the city, there are only guests, the guarded territory, and no one sees these films except ourselves. And the award and a holiday with the red carpet and cameras (there was the mayor and important people) in the city. Three times I was with a poster. The first time at a press conference with a small poster, someone photographed me, so I got on the Internet photo. At a press conference, where only participants and journalists were, they applauded me, supported me, no one made any comments. When I came with a large poster, it was already a presentation in the city where there were people, the public, there I was immediately taken away from me and warned that I would have problems if I would do something or talk from the stage too.

Marina Vroda with a small poster in support of Oleg Sentsov at a press conference in Anapa

Katerina Gornostai: Marina got out of the bus and immediately took out a poster. And it was a big mistake, because people immediately ran up who began to pull this poster without reading what was written, apparently trained: they see any large paper and immediately consider it a provocation. They say: "Let's go through." But we agreed with them, gave this paper to them.

Marina Vroda: I arrived on the bus, I had a poster. There was a red path, light and cameras. I turned the poster. They immediately jumped up. They tried to take me aside, but I was in a group of people who did not let them do it. I gave the poster, said that I have nothing.

Katerina Gornostai: This was the first skirmish, and after that a man came up to us who tried to warn in a very conspiracy tone so that we did nothing, did not say anything: "Girls, you understand, this is a film festival." - "Yes, but the film director is sitting, but we are also the directors. He is our colleague, we want to say about it. This is just the place where you can say about it." He says: "Listen, this is the festival, let's not spoil people's mood." A strange person who said: "I am anap miner, I do not want such promotions to take place in my city at the festival. I approached you kindly." But we warned that we would still do the way we consider necessary.

Marina Vroda: I still did not know what I would do, I decided it spontaneously when I saw this hall, I heard what they were talking from the stage. I have a choice either to leave, do not go there at all, or finish what I intended. It was important for me to do this, including in order to see the reaction of people. And the first reaction was the police. I lived for six months in Berlin and got used to the fact that no one pays attention to anyone, you can walk with any poster.

- Do you know Oleg Sentsov?

Oleg Sentsov after a sentence

Marina Vroda: We spent a year before the Maidan a week at the festival in Poland, on the lake. A kind, quiet, calm person, a very purposeful, heightened feeling of justice. He told how he dreamed of shooting, he himself came to the cinema, he immediately watched the films as a child, and was very given to this matter.

- What is the impression of the reaction of your Russian colleagues? How many people think about the fact that they planted in Russia for 20 years of the Ukrainian director and it is necessary to show solidarity, or most do not care about this story, they do not want to know about it and relate to your action in bewilderment?

Marina Vroda: After this action there were several people who shook their hands, and one person was even in tears. Everyone else did not really understand. This action gave me the opportunity to understand in what fear they live. Even if they want to help, they are very afraid to say a word. I did not understand how scared they were. And I don’t know how it happened, that they didn’t take me there. After I said about Sentsov and sat down, I began to think how to go out now.

- You thought you would be detained after the ceremony?

Marina Vroda: I thought, because my friend, whom I asked to go out to see where people in uniform were standing there, said that he was immediately asked to come, asked my data. I did not go out with everyone, did not take pictures in a common photo. When it ended, the rain from foil in the hall began, we started some smoke, we came up with a conspiratorial scheme on how to bring me out. I do not know, it worked because we did this, or it is already paranoia.

-After this whole story, are you ready to once again come to some festival in Russia?

Marina Vroda: I will honestly tell you, I don’t know what the right path. Do not ride, absolutely isolate? Russia is a huge country if it is worse and worse there, and it will be worse here. Some Ukrainians decided to cut themselves off completely. I think it will not give anything. Therefore, I would like the filmmakers to meet and speak, especially now, when there is practically no media in Russia that can be trusted. In Russia, I met people whom I respect, I understand and love. I had the idea to organize our next meeting, a small forum, not even a festival, but a forum in Berlin, where we can talk about the war, about the power of propaganda in the cinema and in the media. I understand that in Russia we will not talk, because they are intimidated. I want it to be in Germany, so that the Germans would hear what we are talking about and how. Because the Germans believe that we have no conversation about anything and there is no solidarity. This is not true, many Russians are solid, but there is fear, of course. Maybe you can somehow unite here. Well, do not die there alive there?