Venice Film Festival faces Ukrainian condemnation over Russian film

The Ukrainian government has issued a formal condemnation regarding the inclusion of the Russian film ‘Dau’, directed by Ilya Khrzhanovsky, in the main competition of the 2026 Venice International Film Festival. In a joint statement from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture, Ukraine described the selection as a “particularly painful” decision that raises “deep concern.”

Ukrainian officials argued that providing a prestigious cultural platform to a project linked to Russian influence sends an “extremely worrying” signal while Russia continues its war of aggression. The ministry emphasized that culture cannot be viewed in isolation from politics and urged the international community to recognize how Russia utilizes culture as a tool in its “hybrid war.”

In response, La Biennale di Venezia denied allegations of wrongdoing, stating it would never exclude participants based on nationality or geographic origin. The festival noted that ‘Dau’ is a German production co-produced with France and Sweden, and is funded by entities including ARTE, WDR, the Swedish Film Institute, and the Hubert Bals Fund.