Russia's Oscar selection committee shuts down — film producer

The Russian Oscar Committee which annually nominated domestic motion pictures for the Best International Feature Film Oscar has temporarily suspended its activity, movie producer Fyodor Popov, a former committee member, told TASS.

"I was part of the committee on Oscar nominations when it still worked. Now its membership has dwindled significantly and its operation has stopped," the producer explained. Popov added that "nominating a movie for an Oscar at the American Academy Awards under the current circumstances when Russia is besieged by sanctions while Russian culture, sports, and so on are being persecuted and banned would seem extremely inappropriate."

Two former committee members also confirmed to TASS that Russia will not nominate a movie for the Oscars in 2023. The press service of the National Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Russia did not reply to a request by TASS.

Traditionally, the Russian Oscar Committee has nominated a motion picture to compete in the Best International Feature Film Oscar category in September-October. In 2022, this did not happen. Russian filmmakers were divided back then - film directors Alexey Uchitel and Andrey Konchalovsky told TASS that Russia should nominate a movie for an Oscar regardless of the political environment. Chairman of the Union of Cinematographers of Russia Nikita Mikhalkov was convinced it was pointless to do so.

Movies are nominated for the Best International Feature Film Oscar by countries themselves. Then the participant countries are selected. Three Russian films have won this award: War and Peace by Sergey Bondarchuk (1968), Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears by Vladimir Menshov (1981), and Burnt by the Sun by Nikita Mikhalkov (1994). The 96th Academy Awards will take place on March 10, 2024.