Ukrainian filmmakers urge to be aware of ‘the filter of eyes’ as Russian filmmakers are making for the western people. They call for a boycott of Russian films. The Ukrainian filmmakers indicate this action as an attempt of avoiding a terrorist state and the fact that how they use the world of propaganda for their own good. This statement was made by the Ukrainian filmmakers during an international documentary film festival.
The Ukrainian film industry explains how they created the plot of war by using the method of cinematography for years. The imagery started before 24th February and the actions are shown now. Ukrainian filmmakers claim that they are not offended by the voice of Russia but they are against of false information they using. That is the main reason Ukrainian filmmakers are calling for boycotting Russian films. Ukrainian filmmakers like Valentyn Vasyanovych (Atlantis), Volcano director Roman Bondarchuk and Nariman Aliev (Homeward) explained their reason for calling for the boycott.
The people of Western Europe see this act as very normal which is totally against modern colonization and Ukraine is raising its voice against this act. Russian filmmakers are taking advantage of the colonial position for years and getting slots from A-class festivals yet they ignore using their voice for Ukraine which is totally unethical. Though it looks radical to Europeans it’s essential to look at the fact how Russian culture wasted its dynamic power in this war. So, it is high time to make a temporary moratorium on not using the power of resisting war through imagery.
From the first day of the war Ukrainian footballer, Nakonechnyi took images of war. Kirsten Johnson a US cinematographer during a masterclass at the festival asked about the images ‘the tools of war’. Nakonechnyi explains images and words are the main tools of war. Images and weapons have no power of killing unless any man does it. Images got no power to act but they could work actively depending on how it presented.
Producer Illia Gladshtein got some proof that Ukrainians are depicted as traitors, stupid, greedy, and bad in Russian films. The enemy’s side got their own truth. Creators of censors are from the top enemies of Russia who use narratives and ideas just as a war of weapons. So, the Ukrainian filmmakers said Western audiences to be aware of ‘the filter in your eyes’. In Visions du Reel 53rd edition both Russian and Ukrainian films are competing.
