Ukrainian director Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk criticized the Cannes Film Festival for together with a Russian director in its line-up, because the debut filmmaker’s Pamfir was proven at Cannes’ Directors Fortnight on Saturday.
The competition has banned official Russian delegations from attending, however Russian dissident Kirill Serebrennikov, who has spoken out in opposition to the invasion of Ukraine, premiered his in-competition movie Tchaikovsky’s Wife on the competition on Wednesday.
“When he’s here, he is part of the Russian propaganda, and they can use him,” Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk advised Reuters on Saturday.
The Russian director Serebrennikov had mentioned earlier this week that Russian tradition shouldn’t be boycotted, saying that Russian tradition “has always promoted human values.”
The Ukrainian director Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk described the feeling of being in Cannes whereas his nation fights in opposition to a Russian invasion as “alien”.
“Everything what’s happened here, it’s something that would not belong in Ukraine – the peaceful life… We have (an) opposite reality,” he mentioned.
Set within the forests of western Ukraine’s Chernivtsi area, Pamfir begins with the return of a father, Leonid, to his household after months of working in Poland.
A church fireplace attributed to Leonid’s son Nazar forces the daddy to take up a fast smuggling job, angering the native contraband boss.
With references to Greek tragedy and the bible story of Abraham and Isaac, the story of preventing for redemption has resonance with the continued battle.
“(The film) is a reflection of the strength and power of the Ukrainian people, who are very strong and who will win. It’s just a question of time… because we can’t be defeated,” mentioned Oleksandr Yatsentyuk, who performs Leonid.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
