Makhovik "Rades"

The best Russian documentary festival "Artdokfest" is again at the epicenter of scandals

The scandals flare up almost on the daily mode, as if someone is throwing firewood into a campaign aimed at strangling and the ban on one of the last sites for a free statement about the urgent. Massive attacks in a wide variety of forms directed against Artdokfest are gaining momentum.

Updated 9.12.17
On the evening of December 9, during a show in the October cinema, the film about the “Flight of Bullets” by the director Beata Bubenets came to the cinema building by aggressively tuned supporters of the separatists of the self -proclaimed DPR. They threatened the director and president of the festival, promising to arrange “problems” to them and bring another 500 people if the film is shown again. (According to the program, the show is scheduled for Sunday, December 10). The arrivals talked about the "atrocities of the Nazis" - the Ukrainian volunteer battalions in the east of Ukraine - and many times mentioned that they themselves participated in hostilities on the side of the separatists.

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• The first case. The film "KVN. Birth certificate »Inna Tkachenko

Alexander Maslyakov Jr. opposed a documentary about the history of the legendary game “KVN. Birth certificate. " A few days before the premiere, he made a complaint of the rolling company "Karo" (on its territory, "Artdokfest" passes). He claims that the copyright holder of the KVN trading sign is the Amik company, the general director of which he is, consent to the use of the brand in the name of an extraneous film. The film talks about those who in 1961 came up with a legendary television program. Therefore, Maslyakov-father in the film appears episodically. Although the picture begins with him: the creators of KVN Yakovlev, Muratov and Axelrod as a “parent committee” are present at the game, Alexander Vasilievich represents them. It's a shame anyway.

The leadership of Artdokfest, in order to show the film, decided to remove the word “KVN” from the name, leave the picture in the show.

• The second case. "War for the sake of peace" Evgeny Titarenko

Vice-Speaker Peter Tolstoy demands from the Ministry of Culture and Prosecutor General’s Office to ban the “showing in the network of Russian cinemas of the film, in which Russia is represented by an aggressor country, and not the guarantor of the implementation of the Minsk agreements, and the ATO fighters in the southeast of Ukraine are heroes and benefactors.” He would like that "in order for violators of the legislation of the Russian Federation to understand the competent authorities."

• The third case. Mustafa Ernes Sarykhalilov

This is the biographical story of the leader of the Crimean Tatars Mustafa Dzhemilev, who has become a symbol of peaceful resistance, defending the right to return to Crimea from exile during the USSR. About the 15 years spent by Dzhemilev in Soviet camps as political prisoners. On the initiation of a new criminal case against him three days before the end of the conclusion. About the hunger strike announced in protest - the longest in history. He stopped the hunger strike only at the urgent request of Andrei Sakharov.

Using telephone law, someone demanded that Karo prevent the demonstration of the Mustafa film. The picture was shot from the show two hours before the premiere. The audience who bought tickets returned money or offered options for replacing with other paintings.

It is necessary to clarify the following: not the "Artdokfest" is radicalized. The festival shows artistic non -game cinema associated with modernity, not turning a blind eye to sore problems, showing our reality from different points of view. This is not about extremism of “individual” paintings. Perhaps today it is the only festival that exists outside the censorship framework in all its diverse forms.

This is the main stumbling block and claims to the review. Society itself with seven -mini steps moves towards the examination prohibition of everything that is not said on TV.

Commentary

Vitaly Mansky

President of the Festival "Artdokfest"

"Artdoxfest is deliberately demonized"

- We have served the pressure on the festival all the years with the advent of Vladimir Medinsky in the chair of the Minister of Culture. At first, he naively believed that it was enough to block the state financing, and we would disappear from the face of the earth. When they were convinced that this did not work, they began to inspire trials, showing the community and rolling companies that it is not only not only beneficial for their business for their business, but also not safe. We went through the 21st (!) A meeting in the Khamovniki court.

This year they followed the path of creating public opinion and unprecedented pressure on the festival from various groups, organs, power structures and the media. The pressure range is extensive: from deputy requests to checks by the prosecutors and visits of the “volunteer” NODs ( a chopping -up organization created against the “orange threat” ).

Even before the start of the review, we began to receive anonymous calls with threats to personal security. First of all, this was due to the show of “wrong” Ukrainian films.

I believe that the image of “Artdokfest” is consciously demonized, the film festival is trying to represent a traitor to national interests, an agent of Western special services, promoting something illegal. It is curious that people are doing this, who - I declare this reasonably - have not seen the films that they accuse. And even the first channel that arranged the trial of the “personal file” “Artdokfest” operated on information about one picture from the Internet that has nothing to do with the program of our festival.

The flywheel of the “raids” is spinning with terrible force. For example, the campaign against the “war for peace” show began with numerous anonymous threats addressed directly to me in a wide variety of variations. Then publications began to appear in the media. The Tsargrad television company and other resources were not shy about threats to the organizers of the festival.

A special “concern” of the viewer was also expressed, for example, they talked about possible incidents that inadvertently could occur during the shows of “bad films”.

The presenter of the fifth federal channel said in the studio: “If, of course, the cinema wants the viewer to cut his seats after the session, let him show this Ukrainian film.”

And 24 hours after this broadcast, an employee of the prosecutors meets me before entering the Echo of Moscow radio station and gives two documents under signature. In the first I am asked to provide a copy of the film "War against the World." The second is notified: if I show this movie, they can attract me for inciting extremism. It turns out that, on the one hand, they give a documentary confirmation that they did not see the film, on the other, that this film violates Russian legislation. In any case, the actions of the prosecutor's office are transparent.

Before showing a movie, we organized it an independent examination, showed lawyers. We not only do not violate the law, but consider this show important for the development of social relations in Russia.

But after another 24 hours, the actions began not only unlawful, but also humanly vile. The pressure on the part of high offices directly on the owners of the KARO network with threats regarding their main activity.

Karo decided to cancel the show without our participation, which invaded the festival, although under contracts we simply rent the building, and we assume all responsibility, including legal,

The situation is really unhealthy. For the first time, we received from a number of directors and producers - our Ukrainian friends - refusals to participate in the festival in Russia. At the same time, they are ready to come to Artdokfest in Riga. We could not show the painting “Oleg's doubt”: the heroes of the film - the Russians, fighting in Ukraine, began to threaten the authors of the film. We could not take risks.

I want to emphasize that, despite its attitude to one or another norms of Russian legislation, the artkefest festival fully complies with all the requirements of the law. And the show of the film “War for the Peace” we ourselves transferred to the Czech embassy for consideration of the comfort of spectators and distributors. But this film does not violate Russian legislation. Personnel, which, according to lawyers, could be debatable, we stopped. Three microscopic frames.

As for the Mustafa show, we are trying to find out legal justifications for the cancellation of the session, in accordance with this we will take measures.

PS

Later it became known that the Czech embassy canceled its decision on the show of the film “War for the Forces” on its territory. In connection with massive threats and the possibility of provocations, diplomats cannot ensure safety to the audience who have been enrolled in the premiere of the film online. The leadership of the festival is looking for a platform that would decide to show the film.