Venice Film Festival Keeps 'DAU' in Competition Amid Ukraine Pressure

Ilya Khryzhanovskiy: the project 'Dau', which Ukraine demanded be excluded from the Venice Film Festival program, is not an inst...

Consensus

The Venice Film Festival decided not to remove 'DAU' from its main competition.
The film is produced in coproduction with Germany, France, and Sweden.
The film received funding from Arte, WDR, the Swedish Film Institute, and the Netherlands' Hubert Bals Fund.
Ilya Khrzhanovskiy is not a Russian citizen and has been declared an 'agent' by Russian authorities.
Khrzhanovskiy has consistently opposed Russia's military aggression against Ukraine since 2014.
The film is described as an artistic critique of totalitarian regimes and their suppression of individual freedom.
The festival stated it would never exclude participants based on geography or nationality.
Sergey Adonyev, a Russian businessman previously linked to the project, ceased involvement in 2019 and did not fund the competition version.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture claimed that 'DAU' could legitimize Russian culture during wartime and accused Russia of using culture as a tool in hybrid warfare. — tg_echoonline_news
Ukrainian authorities pointed to the film's filming in Kharkiv between 2008 and 2011 and criticized its portrayal of the city through a Soviet lens, ignoring its own history and identity. — novaya_eu
Ukrainian officials highlighted the connection of lead actor Theodor Kurentzis to Russian state structures. — novaya_eu
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that 'DAU' was a tool of Russian state cultural policy. — tg_echoonline_news