Nikita Mikhalkov, President of the Moscow International Film…

Nikita Mikhalkov, President of the Moscow International Film Festival (MIFF), responded to an open letter from director Alexander Sokurov regarding censorship bans in cinema.

Consensus

• Nikita Mikhalkov responded to an open letter from Alexander Sokurov about censorship in Russian cinema
• Mikhalkov suggested Sokurov redirect his complaint to actual state leadership
• Sokurov had previously published an open letter requesting help with film distribution permits denied by the Ministry of Culture
• The letter included Sokurov's own film 'Sun' among 37 films banned for screening in Russia

Points of divergence

• Mikhalkov stated that he did not respond to the first letter because Sokurov did not expect a response, and that the second letter contained an error where Sokurov called him a state leader — kommersant
• Mikhalkov said he did not respond to the first letter because Sokurov admitted he did not expect a response, and that the second letter contained an error where Sokurov called him a state leader — vesti