The war in Ukraine, Putin, the propaganda in Russia and the power of two women to keep, in such a regime, an independent television station, monopolized the friendly discussion they had on Sunday afternoon in a central restaurant in Thessaloniki, the Deputy Minister of Culture, in charge for Contemporary Culture Nikolas Giatromanolakis, with Vera Kritsevskaya, director of the documentary “F @ ck this job”, the general director of the Thessaloniki Film Festival Eliz Zalandos and the artistic director Orestis Andreadakis.
Earlier, Mr. Giatromanolakis had a quick meeting with Natasa Sidegeva, the owner of Dozhd TV, who had come to the city for the screening of the documentary at the 24th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival and said he was impressed by the strength of the two women, describing the attitude as heroic. their. Impressed, said Vera Kritsevskaya, for the invitation to such a discussion. “I very rarely have the opportunity to sit down and talk to members of government in the countries I visit, and in fact to people who are so open and supportive,” he said.
“Documentaries have not only an artistic, but also a clear political dimension. They make us better citizens, because they make us more informed citizens, even about things that are happening right now. This documentary talks about the course of Dozhd TV, but through it we understand more about the invasion of Ukraine and what it means to be in a country without freedom of the press, expression, art and speech. “For me, the effort of this station symbolizes the modern struggle for freedom, a freedom that is defended by unexpected heroes”, said Mr. Giatromanolakis to the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency.
Cultural sanctions in Russia
Welcoming the decision of the Cannes Film Festival not to accept any official Russians or official delegations during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but to always remain open to the voices of artists wherever they come from, Vera Krychevskaya said that she supports 100 %, emphasizing the separation of the official cultural organizations of Russia from the independent creators.
Referring to the issue, Mr. Giatromanolakis stressed that “one can not pretend that something did not happen, that the conditions have not changed, since the Russian government has started a war in an independent country. “You must also protect the interests of your country. It would not be wise at this time, for example, to export works of art from Greece or for Greece to participate in a book fair in Moscow. These types of measures have been taken. We have never talked about independent Russian artists living or others who have passed away, as some like to say. “This is evident from the fact that there are minimal cancellations of cultural events that have to do with Russia,” he said.
The particularly warm response of the audience to the screening of “F @ ck this job” on Saturday night at the packed Olympion, proves, according to the artistic director of the Festival Orestis Andreadakis, “that we did well and followed the line not to cooperate with any official , state, Russian cultural organization “. Mr. Andreadakis reiterated that the Festival is open to Russians, Ukrainians and other directors who talk about the situation inside Russia, the war in Ukraine and all the atrocities. “The Thessaloniki Documentary Festival will be open and will welcome those who resist barbarism,” he stressed.
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