on Feb. 24 has reverberated across the film industry locally and globally. The effects, insiders tellRussia’s designation as a pariah state has seen major film festivals such as Venice and Cannes bar the presence of Russian government agencies and state-backed content at their events, while global companies and studios including Disney and WarnerMedia have paused all activities in the country.
“We’ve already sold it in many countries and distributors we’ve spoken to are behind it; they want to keep supporting talented auteurs,” Pulsar Content co-founder Marie Garrett tells. Yet despite the support, Garrett acknowledges that the film’s release will now likely be delayed. Even companies that want to continue working with independent Russian distributors are impeded by the financial sanctions against Russia, which means no deals can get done now or in the foreseeable future.
“It’s a huge headache because [Russia] is what I would call a ‘mini’ major territory,” agrees Charlie Bloye, chief executive of Film Export U.K. “Maybe it can’t be classed as a major territory alongside France and Germany, but for the right film, it was getting there. It was a very valuable territory.”
This is not the first time buyers and local distributors have tried to prise rights away from Russia. Danielou says he started excluding Ukraine from Russian deals as far back as 2014, when Russia invaded Crimea, “because Ukrainian distributors refused to buy from Russian companies.” For the moment, Film Export U.K.’s Bloye says it’s not possible to predict what the current situation will mean for the carve up of rights in the future.
No as Hollywood has very short memories while they unite against one tyrant due to public pressure they will still cosy up to others around the globe