As confirmed by Variety, Russia has opted out of sending an official Oscar candidate for the upcoming international feature film race.
According to Variety, The Russian Film Academy's decision to abstain from the Oscars is a reflection of the escalating hostilities between the United States and Russia, which has been at war with Ukraine since February 24. Russia has vowed to sever ties with the United States after accusing it of being directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine.
Variety further reports that for years, Russia had consistently sent movies to the Oscars. Russia was shortlisted twice since then, in 2019 with Kantemir Balagov's "Beanpole," which had won a prize at Un Certain Regard at Cannes, and Andrei Konchalovsky's "Dear Comrades," winner of the Special Jury Prize at Venice, highlighting the nation's vibrant film culture and industry. Russia was nominated in 2017 for Andrey Zvyagintsev's "Loveless," which won the jury prize at Cannes.
Variety quoted a local news outlet TASS as they reported that a famous filmmaker from Russia, Nikita Mikhalkov, is in the favour of this decision. He said that "it didn't make sense" to select a film that will represent Russia in a country which, in reality, "currently denies its existence".
Mikhalkov, who left the Oscar selection committee in August, stated that he planned to set up a ceremony for Europe and Asia that would be similar to the Oscars, as per Variety.
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