All news

Mikhalkov got no reply on his film from Venice Festival’s qualification team

The director accused the festival’s administration of mixing the culture with politics

BELGRADE, October 3. /TASS/. Russian celebrated film director Nikita Mikhalkov has submitted his new film Sunstroke (Solnechny Udar) to qualification committee at the recently finished 71st Venice Film Festival, but did not even get a reply, the director told the Belgrade news conference ahead of his film’s world premiere on Friday. 

“I offered my new film for Venice Festival, expecting it to participate in the competition program or at least to be shown at the fest. I believe the film is not such a failure that it could not be even shown at Venice. Providing that I have already gotten two best director’s Silver Lion awards there and my brother /Andrey/ Konchalovsky participated in this year’s competition program, they could have hosted such great film directing job! However, the qualification committee did not even bother to reply me as if I had not sent them anything at all!” he said in an excitement.

The director accused the festival’s administration of mixing the culture with politics.

“At least they could have thought of a simple excuse for a director with two Venice Festival awards! I may overestimate my personality, but they should have borrowed some shame! Honestly, I took such an attitude with great pleasure. People are saying there is no politics in cinema. Come on, chaps, do not lie!” he exclaimed.

Mikhalkov said he was not at all upset, but only gaily surprised at the festival’s administration behaviour.

“If they do not share your point of view and your film’s idea, they should have said it straight ahead. Otherwise, it looks like a stupid censorship”, he concluded.

The new Mikhalkov’s film is based on the story Sunstroke and the book Cursed Days (Okayaniye Dni) by Nobel Prize-winning Russian writer Ivan Bunin. The film director raised the idea for the film in early 1980s, but he got the final version of the screenplay finished not earlier than 2010. The film will be released in Russia on October 9, 2014.