On the evening of August 26, the 44th Moscow Film Festival (MIFF) opens, screenings will run for a week, until September 2. The renewed team, headed by journalist Ivan Kudryavtsev, assembled the program over the summer in extremely nervous conditions. Back in March, the International Federation of Film Producers’ Associations (FIAPF) suspended the accreditation of the MIFF as a class A festival (which confirms the high quality of the organization of the film review). The expected effect of the sanction is obvious – large image losses and a drop in the level of competitive programs. But even if the accreditation had been preserved, in the current situation it is difficult to doubt the inevitability of a boycott of the MIFF against the backdrop of the “cancellation” of Russian culture in the world.
The arrival of foreign guests is problematic not only because of the boycott policy, but also purely logistically – international air traffic with Russia is difficult, restrictions are being introduced in some countries due to a new outbreak of coronavirus. As a result, until the last moment the organizers keep the intrigue both with the final program and with the list of honored guests.