With the intensification of Russian military operations against Ukraine since last February 24, major countries - including the United States and European countries - imposed economic sanctions on Moscow, and international companies stopped their work, and boycott campaigns began to denounce the war, and among the most prominent and recent participants in the pressure campaigns were entertainment makers and major Film production companies in the world announced that they would stop showing their expected work in Russia.

The Ukrainian Film Academy had called for a boycott of the Russian cinema and film industry in the wake of the invasion, and created an online petition to support its call. Within days, many major production companies, art festivals, and bands responded, declaring their support for Ukraine and denouncing the war.

Cinema does not support war

Walt Disney, the world's largest entertainment company, has taken the first decision to temporarily stop showing its films in Russia, and among these films is "Turning Red", which was scheduled to be shown on the tenth of This March.

"We will make future decisions based on the evolving situation. In the meantime, given the scale of the emerging refugee crisis, we are working with our NGO partners to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to refugees," a Disney spokesperson said in a company statement.

The film production company "Warner Bros", followed the example of Disney, and announced that it would stop showing its movie "The Batman" in Russia, one of the most awaited films of this year, and the decision came just days before it opened in theaters there, on the Although tickets for the movie have already sold for $200,000, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The company issued a statement saying, "In light of the humanitarian crisis that Ukraine is going through, the company has stopped releasing its movie "Batman" in Russia." The statement added that the company "will continue to closely monitor the situation and its developments, and we hope to reach a quick and peaceful solution to this tragedy."

Sony quickly took the same approach, and also announced a temporary suspension of its cinematic releases in Russia, including the movie "Morbius" scheduled for release in early April.

In a statement, the company expressed its hope that this crisis would be resolved quickly.

In the same vein, Paramount Pictures has temporarily banned its upcoming releases from Russia, including "The Lost City" and "Sonic the Hedgehog 2).

"We stand by all those affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, Russia and our international markets, and will continue to monitor the situation and its latest developments," the studio said in a statement.

The studios "Universal Pictures" joined the boycott campaign, and said in a statement that it had decided to stop showing its films in Russian cinemas, including "Ambulance" and "The Bad Guys", scheduled for release in April. Next, in response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

Festivals and concerts

And the matter did not stop at banning the screening of films only, but international festivals also joined the boycott campaigns, most notably the Cannes Film Festival, as the organizers announced that the international festival scheduled to be held next May “will not welcome official Russian delegations, and will not accept the attendance of anyone.” linked to the Russian government.

The statement stressed that this decision "will not change unless the attack ends on terms that satisfy the Ukrainian people," but did not rule out accepting films from Russia in the competition.

The Venice Film Festival also took a decision in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and announced that it was organizing free screenings of the movie "Reflection", which shows the conflict in the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine. The film is scheduled to be shown next week in Rome, Milan and Venice.

The European Broadcasting Union also announced that it would not allow Russia to enter this year's singing competition, and the European Broadcasting Union said in a statement that "given the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, Russian participation would lead to discrediting the competition."

The group, "Imagine Dragons", announced on Instagram that all of its concerts in Russia and Ukraine were cancelled "until further notice," and the post added, "Our prayers are with Ukraine and all those who suffer from this needless war."

British singer and songwriter Louis Tomlinson issued a similar statement, canceling his upcoming concerts in Moscow and Kiev, and said in his statement, "The safety of the fans is my priority."

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