Global entertainment industry mobilises to cut off Russia for invading Ukraine

An ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine dating back to the collapse of the Soviet Union has become a fullout war with global and commercial reverberationsRussias booming film and TV industry with its deep governmentbacked coffers lost its grip on the world stage virtually overnight amid growing fallout from Vladimir Putins February 24 invasion of Ukraine reports varietycomDisney Warner Bros Sony and Paramount all paused the distribution of new movies in Russia and SNL opened last weekends show with a Ukrainian chorus in solidarity with the country under attackCannes barred the Russian delegation from attending its May festivalFor Ukraines creative community the situation is a matter of lifeordeath Though the Russian attack has met with fierce Ukrainian resistance millions have been forced into makeshift shelters to escape bombings The United Nations has so far recorded more than 100 deathsOn March 1 Russian bombs targeted a TV tower in the Ukrainian capital Kiev killing at least five and blocking the transmission of TV channels nationwideFilm festival organiser and producer Darya Bassel whose documentary A House Made of Splinters won a directors prize at last months Sundance Film Festival fled Kiev days ago with her family and is based in an apartment in the western town of ChernivtsiBassel is among a group of filmmakers who have mobilised quickly to support those documenting Russias invasion of their country The outfit has opened an office to organise the transport of means and materials to filmmakers on the front lineFor some its simple stuff like food or chocolate For others it is bulletproof vests power banks and gasoline says BasselWere also trying to organise people who have cars to drive filmmakers from point A to point BSeveral documentary projects are in the works Actordirector Sean Penn was in Ukraine filming a Vice Studios documentary funded by Endeavor Content and other efforts include a new film by Ukraine on Fire director Igor Lopatonok and two docs that began shooting when it became clear that Russia would invadeIllia Svidler a producer and the CEO of Ukrainian distributor Kinolife was working on a film festival that was meant to launch in March when the war broke outAll the agreements with cinemas theatres and partners were signed but everything was cancelled he says He was also in talks with a Spanish company about a coproduction but they dont reply now he saysSvidler spoke to Variety in between sheltering in the bathroom of his apartment with his wife and eightmonthold daughter as sirens sounded He supports the cultural boycotts of Russia I think its a good idea Many films are sponsored by the Russian governmentEurope is slowly adhering to calls by the Ukrainian Film Academy and other government bodies to sever business and creative ties with RussiaNetflix has refused to carry 20 Russian freetoair propaganda channels locally despite the requirements of a Russian law that went into effect on March 1Meanwhile French drama festival Series Mania booted Russian film advocacy org Roskino from its upcoming event While Cannes has barred any Russian presence at its fest the Venice Film Festival is yet to take a position On March 1 the European Film Academy said it would exclude Russia from the European Film AwardsSvidler points out that many in the Ukrainian film industry including Kinolife have already terminated contracts with Russian companies at great expenseWell lose a lot of money says SvidlerBut when I was sheltering with my little daughter and my wife I didnt think about money I thought I dont want to work with these bastardsThe war is yet another blow to the local film and TV industry already battered by the pandemic The countrys most prestigious film awards the Golden Dzyga set to take place in April have been postponed until further notice Casting calls have been cancelled and cinemas have been shuttered The entertainment sector has effectively been frozenMeanwhile those covering the war zone for international media orgs are doing their part to support Ukraine Brygida Grysiak deputy editorinchief of Discoveryowned Polish cable news channel TVN24 says the channel made the important move of live streaming Ukrainian media groups United News programme a coordinated newscast created in a bid to quash fake news on OTT platforms TVN24 GO and TVN PlayI would say it is our little sign of solidarity for Ukrainian journalists says Grysiak who has ontheground teams stationed in Kiev and Lviv in Ukraine as well as MoscowTrey Yingst a Fox News foreign correspondent has been travelling around Ukraine for about two weeks venturing near the Crimea to the front lines in the eastern part of Ukraine and reporting from KievIts of note how resilient the Ukrainian people are says Yingst They are the story People have been asking us and commenting online and talking about correspondents like us standing on the balconies wearing flak jackets amid the incoming bombing We are not the story The story is the Ukrainian peopleSky News chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay endured a 36hour curfew in Kiev over the weekend a little too close to strategic military roving for comfort The veteran reporter has a hint of surprise in his voice as he ruminates on the teams shortterm plans in the fieldWe didnt think the Ukrainian forces were going to last very long and Im pretty certain Russia didnt think they would last very long Ramsay says In terms of what was thought to be this blitzkrieg its been a remarkable effortThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever