“We, Russian filmmakers, demand an end to the military aggression against Ukraine, an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.” This opens the open letter from Russia from over one hundred professionals in the film industry, including several internationally renowned cinematographers, such as Roman Vasyanov (“Suicide Squad”, “Fury”), Mikhail Krichman (“Loveless”, ” Leviathan ”), Pavel Kapinos (“ Hardcore Henry ”), Vladislav Opelyants (“ Leto ”,“ Petrov’s Flu ”,“ Lessons of Persian ”) and Pavel Fomintsev (“ Unclenching the Fists ”).
«On February 22, 2022, Russia started a war against Ukraine – reads the text – There are no geopolitical excuses, no type of objective that justifies the loss of human life: do not let the propaganda convince you otherwise. The officially declared objectives of this “operation” have nothing to do with reality: war is being fought all over Ukraine, people are being killed or forced to flee their homes and spend their nights in air raid shelters. What can justify this? What greater purpose is it worth the people of Kiev to learn to distinguish a Grad rocket from a Smerch rocket by sound? Nobody”.
In the letter also a reflection on the future of his own nation: “The so-called” military operation “will isolate Russia from the world for decades, expel it from the international cultural scene, lead to devastating consequences for its economy and stain us and our children with the deserved misfortune “.
In recent days, many international filmmakers have mobilized against the war, including David Lynch. The director of The Secrets of Twin Peaks, who will soon return to star in the new film by Steven Spielberg, has expressed himself with very harsh words towards Vladimir Putin, reminding him “that the death and destruction sown will return, sooner or later, to find him. “.
“We have not done enough to prevent this war, but we do not want it and we will not allow it to be conducted in our name – concludes the letter – We ask that the war in Ukraine be stopped”.