Director Sarik Andreasyan lost a defamation lawsuit against producer Nikolai Kartozia. Kartozia promised to donate the winnings to “film college students who are studying Tarkovsky.” — Andreasyan had a conflict with them

In December 2024, Andreasyan filed a lawsuit for the protection of honor, dignity and business reputation against the general director of the Saturday TV channel, Nikolai Kartozia, due to the fact that Kartozia publicly criticized Andreasyan’s work.

Kartozia wrote that “Sarik makes great film shish kebab” and “hasn’t read anything he adapts,” and that “Sarik has a unique gift: his films unite people in hating his films.”

Two days later, Kartozia filed a counterclaim, also for protection of honor, dignity and business reputation.

In March 2026, Andreasyan won a lawsuit against Kartozia and was supposed to receive compensation of 1 ruble. But Kartozia said that with this ruble Andreasyan could make a new film and “the more time Sarik spends in court, the less time he will spend on the set.” He then filed an appeal.

On June 10, 2026, the Moscow court upheld Kartozia’s claim and ordered Andreasyan to pay 100,000 rubles.

“This money will be transferred to film college students who are studying Tarkovsky. Finally, Sarik will make a contribution to the development of Russian cinema,” Kartozia commented on his victory in court.

• In March 2025, at a meeting with students of Moscow Film College No. 40, Andreasyan said that Tarkovsky is “degenerating cinema.” And those who do not agree with his opinion on auteur cinema will become “poor, washed-up, vomiting filmmakers” and should go “fuck you.”
• After this meeting, Andreasyan wrote in his Telegram channel that “it is these film schools that educate those very liberals who hate their country and try to provoke anyone who thinks differently from what they were told.” He also demanded an apology from the director and students of the college.