European Film Festival comes back to Russia over a year after starting the war in Ukraine

The European Film Festival has decided to return to its Russian viewers in an online format, the EU Ambassador to Russia announced. The news comes only a year and a half since the Russian Federation started the genocidal war against Ukrainian people.

• This year’s “festival” will be held from 1 to 15 November 2023 with support from the European Union Embassy in Russia.
• The program includes 21 films from Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Denmark, and other EU countries — all shown with Russian subtitles free of charge.
• The festival will also feature two films co-produced by Russian and European film studios.

“The slogan of the event is announced to be “Cinema Unites” — showcasing the unity of cultures and interests.”

The EU Embassy’s press office states.

Why is it important?

The news immediately caught the attention of Ukrainians who felt hurt and offended by such initiatives. Despite the atrocities that Russians are doing to Ukrainian citizens, the EU Embassy to Russia seems to be quite okay with providing entertainment to such Russians, normalizing their genocidal “culture.” Not only is this festival hurtful to Ukrainian people, but it also gives Russians funds and a platform to spread misinformation across the whole of Europe.