Russia Boycotting 95th Academy Awards

The 95th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will honor films released in 2022. It is scheduled to take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California on March 12, 2023. Russia recently decided to boycott the Academy Awards.

According to Variety, Russia won’t be sending an official Oscar contender to the forthcoming international feature film competition. News source AFP recently reported the announcement from The Russian Film Academy. The decision looks to be a boycott of the Oscars.

This announcement reflects the escalating hostilities between the United States and Russia, which has been at war with Ukraine since February 24th. Russia has vowed to sever ties with the United States after accusing it of being directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine.

According to the AFP, the head of the Oscar committee, Pavel Tchoukhra, said that the decision of the Russian Film Academy was made “behind his back” and resigned as a result. According to the local news site TASS, Nikita Mikhalkov, a filmmaker and ardent supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed “it didn’t make sense” to choose a movie to represent Russia in a nation that actually currently rejects its existence.

For years, Russia had consistently sent movies to the Oscars. Russia was shortlisted twice since then, in 2019 with Kantemir Balagov’s “Beanpole,” which had won a prize at Un Certain Regard at Cannes, and Andrei Konchalovsky’s “Dear Comrades,” winner of the Special Jury Prize at Venice, highlighting the nation’s vibrant film culture and industry. Russia was nominated in 2017 for Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Loveless,” which won the jury prize at Cannes. Stay tuned to Thirsty for the latest news and updates.

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