Stepan Burnashev, the director of the detective drama Aita, explained in an interview with socialbites.ca why his film was not taken to a major international class A festival. At the same time, the cinematographer said that there are generally no international screenings. Closed to Russian movies.
“We had long discussions and we were asked if there was government support for the painting. Then they made sure that the movie was made with private money and they agreed, but in the end they still didn’t shoot it. We are still in touch, but so far, well-known festivals do not have a special desire to undertake Russian projects,” he said.
According to him, the festival decision was offensive to him: “Many people who have watched the film believe that the film deserves to be shown at the best festival venues. But what happened, it happened. We continue to work, we go to theaters, and perhaps the film will be shown at festivals of a smaller class. ”
The director emphasized that, for example, American festivals do not refuse to take Russian cinema – just last year Burnashev took part in two festivals in the United States. “I was invited to the local language festival in Washington in 2023. Rejections come from famous festivals, but Russian tapes manage to get there too, ”he summed up.
Ruby director Stepan Burnashev’s drama “Aita” was released in Russian cinemas on March 30. The film has already received two awards for Best Director and Best Actor at the Zimniy Film Festival.
Read the full interview with Burnashev Here.