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Read full storySkinhead movie disrupted in Moscow on Easter Eve
19 April, 2009, 20:26
The film about skinheads which was to take place on Saturday at a Moscow cinema as part of the "Cimema.doc" festival was cancelled without any obvious reason, reports Echo of Moscow website on April 19.
According to the director of the film "Russia-88", Pavel Bardin, the decision to cancel the showing was taken by the cinema management, not by the festival organizers of the film festival.
The official excuse for canceling the movie from the schedule was that the cinema didn’t receive the copy of the film. However, this account was shortly disproved by Bardin, who said he had a backup copy with him.
Despite the fact that there was a heavy police presence at the cinema and that there were no incidents either, cinemagoers who intended on seeing the nationalist movie were told that a French comedy will be onscreen instead of "Russia-88".
The movie’s director said he had been told of possible skinhead disruption during the showing of his film, but said this was not a valid reason to cancel the screening.
However the head of the Regional Journalism Club, Irina Yasina, claimed in her website blog that someone had called from the Mayor’s Office ordering the cancellation “to avoid incidents on the eve of Easter and days before Hitler’s birthday.”
The premiere of the picture took place at the Berlin film festival in February. It was praised by critics and won an award for a debut movie at the “Spirit of Fire” festival.
The director has promised that despite failing to have his movie showcased at the festival in Moscow, "Russia-88" will be released in Russia.
