Ukraine opposes the Oscar for the film “Navalny” — RT Games & Culture
Refusing to let Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky address the Academy Awards while handing an Oscar to a documentary about Russian activist Alexey Navalny means politics and cinema are intermingling after all, adviser Mikhail Podoliak tweeted on Monday. .
“If Oscar is outside politics, how to understand the Navalny documentary manifesto where Russian domestic politics overflows?” Podoliak asked, “If Oscar is out of the context of the war in Ukraine (and) the mass genocide of Ukrainians, why are you constantly talking about humanism (and) justice?”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had declined Zelensky’s request to address Sunday’s ceremony for the second straight year now. Although there was no official comment on it, American media reported that Hollywood wanted “Stay away from anything political” amid fears the focus on Ukraine could offend non-whites around the world.
Since the escalation of the conflict with Russia in February 2022, Zelensky has appeared via video link ahead of film festivals in Cannes, Berlin and Venice. He also addressed the Grammy Awards and the Glastonbury Music Festival and practically “ringed” the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange in September, among other appearances.
Officially a senior adviser to the president’s chief of staff, Podoliak has been one of the most outspoken voices in government in Kyiv, second only to the president himself. Last week, he lashed out at luxury brand Louis Vuitton, imagining an anti-Ukrainian message in the company’s longstanding logo based on the French flag.
‘Navalny’, a CNN-HBO production directed by Canadian filmmaker Daniel Roher, won the Oscar for Best Documentary on Sunday. The film focuses on the alleged poisoning of the man who Western media have described as the “Leader of the Opposition.”
Navalny’s wife accepted the award on his behalf, as he is currently serving a prison sentence for fraud and a parole violation. A Moscow court found him guilty in 2014 of defrauding the Russian subsidiary of French cosmetics producer Yves Rocher and another company out of some $400,000. Navalny denounced the charges as fabricated and politically motivated.
You can share this story on social media:
RT
