PRESS RELEASE : Address by the President of Ukraine to the participants of the Venice Film Festival
The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 1 September 2022.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
Dear participants and guests of the Venice Film Festival!
I appreciate the opportunity to address you today and tell our story. Tell about Ukraine, its people and the war that Russia has been waging against us for 189 days. A story that is beyond competition and beyond the limits of humanity and common sense. A drama based on real events. Embodied in life by real savages, murderers, torturers, terrorists. A tragedy accompanied not by Morricone’s brilliant music, but by gruesome ditties and sounds of explosions, gunshots and air raid sirens. Horror, not 120 minutes but 189 days long. 189 days of war, which continues in Ukraine and which Europe and the world are allegedly tired of. This is what Russia claims. This is what Russia wants. A primitive plot in three acts for the world to make three dramatic mistakes. To get used to the war. To put up with the war. To forget about the war.
This intention should never succeed.
Cultural figures, directors, producers, actors, screenwriters, DOPs, composers, artists, designers, film critics and thousands of other people – from different countries of the world and one cinematographic family. Your position is important, your voice is influential, your word is loud. The least you can do today, or rather, NOT do, is not to be silent, not to be afraid, not to turn away, not to pass by and not to be indifferent to the war in Ukraine, which was unleashed by Russia.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
For someone, power is only missiles and nuclear warheads. For us, power is in philosophy, mentality, these are meanings and words. For us it is also a weapon. I want every country, every nation, every institution and community in the world to have a clear idea of what Ukraine is going through now.
To hear about this war in the most understandable language. For you, this is the language of cinematography. But you won’t see any scary footage now: explosions, gunshots, destruction, smoke, pain and tears. You will see things that most people don’t usually see. An integral part of every film, which not everyone pays attention to. Important names that fade into oblivion and obscurity, because the moment they appear on the screen, most viewers do two things: stand up and leave. I know that the first thing today is important. The second is impossible.
To be continued… To be continued?
The answer to this question today depends on all of us.
Whenever someone talks about being tired of Ukraine, these titles should be mentioned. To get tired of Ukraine means to brush off these names. To forget these names.
I am confident that the whole civilized world will never do this, will never give up, will stand with Ukraine to the end, to the victorious end, when truth and justice will hear applause!
Glory to Ukraine!
