Ukrainian film and TV bodies have begun calls for a boycott of Russian media and the severing of business ties with Russian entities.
Russia’s film and TV industry has been steadily growing in recent years, with events such as the Key Buyers Event — an annual content showcase organized by Russian film promotion body Roskino — drawing 200 international buyers last year. Now, many of those relationships will be tested on a global stage as Ukraine’s media orgs ask for a boycott of all business dealings with Russia.
The organizers of Kyiv Media Week, a 10-year-old international film and TV market serving Eastern Europe, has called for a ban on Russian propaganda. In a letter issued widely on Saturday to international media, including Variety, the group asked supporters of Ukraine to stop broadcasting any Russian channels from their respective countries.
“Putin’s regime escalated the current war with all the weapons available, which means the media sphere to be a battlefield worldwide,” reads the letter. “Therefore, we call on the international media community to resist the poisonous russian [sic] propaganda and unite the efforts to switch off russian [sic] TV broadcasting in your countries.”
Kyiv Media Week organizers have thrown their support behind Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, which on Saturday revealed plans for a unified media strategy across all of Ukraine.
In a bid to ensure “reliable and truthful information relating to Russia’s war against Ukraine,” media groups including 1+1 media, StarLightMedia, Media Group Ukraine and Inter Media Group have begun broadcasting a single newscast called “United News.”
“We objectively and promptly provide comprehensive information from different regions of the country 24/7,” reads the statement. “We are ready to provide TV providers with our signal, and thus, ask you to help spread this information.”
The group has asked its partners to “turn off all…