Fukuoka library postpones Soviet film event due to Ukraine invasion

Seems reasonable considering the current mood about things Russian. They can show the films at a later date. For those who say "the Ukraine was Soviet, too," that's not unlike saying Taiwan and Korea were Imperial Japan, too. The USSR was Russia and its conquered/client states.

And this is not "marginalizing a group for no other reason that their nationality" either. It's a few old films that won't be shown this year at that library. Can you imagine having a German film festival in the UK during World War 2?

As it's not a full cancellation, I hope that the library will resume the programme some time later. Why not raising funds with it for Ukraine?

"Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears," 

It's a good one. Or perhaps Putin and his Z-cult followers may hate it. The Soviet-time films are not necessarily aimed for communist propaganda.

u_s__reamerToday  10:00 am JST

Putin is not Russia and Russia is not Putin. Whoever thinks otherwise is a self-confessed fascist.

While at first glance this sounds rational, Putin's approval rating is 83%. Of course with Russian state controlled media directing public thought, that's not unexpected. But it does put a hole in that statement.

Such stupid decisions reinforces Putin's internal politics. The problem is not Russian art, the problem is Putin.

Putin is not Russia and Russia is not Putin. Whoever thinks otherwise is a self-confessed fascist. Let the films be screened: the public doesn't need others to think for them. Whoever thinks otherwise...ditto. And films are educational despite their propaganda content.

Disgusting behavior in the 21st century.

Speaking of disgusting, have you seen the photos of civilian residential areas bombed and shelled by Russia. Yet some continue to cheer on Russia's leaders, and their invasion and slaughter of civilian women and children, and cheer on Russian leadership that jails Russian citizens who use words like 'invasion' and 'war'. What Russia has been doing in Ukraine, Syria and elsewhere has been disgusting, though I know gore and carnage appeal to some in art and life.

How many Hollywood movies or U.S. cultural events were cancelled after U.S. invasions of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya? Zero? Why?

It's so good to see that , just like in the wars of old, people continue to harbor feelings of animosity against regular people of a particular nationality because of war propaganda.

Good to see everything Russian canceled, Russians getting deported, visas canceled, and treated as criminals for the crime of having being born in that awful country.

Like some politician said when this whole ordeal started "there are no innocent Russians".

(Of course, this is all sarcasm)

@smithinjapan

Probably quite a few, outside of the US

I mean in Japan. I do not remeber any U.S. movie or anything cancelled here. Or any Ukrainian event, after they began killing the people of Donbass in 2014.

I see your point (the downvote is not from me), but can't agree with you.

BroncoMay 1  07:17 am JST

Set to start in May, the event was to screen films made from the 1960s to 1980s from Russia's predecessor state

The Soviet Union is also Ukraine's predecessor state.

the 12 films set to be screened, four were about Ukraine or by Ukrainian directors

So four Ukrainian directors just got cancelled as well.

What did they do wrong?

The Soviet Union was the predecessor state for Russia and Ukraine. It was a Communist totalitarian behemoth with Moscow as its capital. After the failed August Coup of 1991, Gorbachev wanted the USSR to continue as a democratic union/empire with perhaps Minsk as the capital.

But Boris Yeltsin of Russia and other republic leaders had other plans.....

I think they should go on with this film festival anyway.

Cancel culture at its worse. Funny how we didn't see a boycott of American products (I'm sure they make products, can't think what though) when they invaded Iraq illegally and bombed the hell out of it.

Coincidentally, I was watching Shurik and his Operation Y movie. Maybe I should finish watching it during GW.

PTownsend:

Get off your high horse. Eastern Ukrainians were being killed since 2014. Now the west is trying to pin all the recent brutal murders on Russians, especially Bucha where there were no reports of dead bodies until 2 days after the Russians left. What happened between those two days? Try watching reports from independent journalists, not the mouthpieces of western governments and corporations.

Good, the right decision. However he is wrong to say art and politics are separate, they aren’t, art and politics are deeply and intrinsically interconnected, except when artists and arts administrators don’t want them to be for their convenience.

Perhaps they should replace russian works and culture with Ukrainian, highlighting their separate identity and individuality.

The Soviet Union no longer exists. So what does shutting down this exhibition have to do with the Russian invasion of Ukraine? Will we next ban old Jackie Chan movies because of Chinese aggression In Hong Kong?

Asakaze: "How many Hollywood movies or U.S. cultural events were cancelled after U.S. invasions of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya? Zero? Why?"

Probably quite a few, outside of the US, and it's not like Russia or Ukraine are postponing the event. While I agree with most people that canceling it outright would be a shame, I do think that proudly showing SOME of the content might be distasteful given the current state of things. And even if people disagree, I am sure Fukuoka wants this to be a success, which it no doubt would NOT be were they to go ahead at present.

Probably a good call.

More Stupid virtue signaling by Fukuoka.

Is Putin carrying out the will of the Russian people? Yes or No?

and if so, how will showing these films from 40 to 60 years ago in a Fukuoka library be advantageous to him?

Disgusting behavior in the 21st century.

Immature and dangerous.

Whoever supports this would have supported the Jewish ghettos back in the wartime Europe.

Astounding that any foreigner in Japan would not see the irony in marginalizing a group for no other reason than their nationality.

Yet some continue to cheer on Russia's leaders, and their invasion and slaughter of civilian women and children, and cheer on Russian leadership that jails Russian citizens who use words like 'invasion' and 'war'. 

Who has cheered this on?

I keep seeing this claim that people are supporting the Russian invasion and Ukrainian death and destruction.

Who specifically has cheered this on?