- Ohtani eyes MLB history after surpassing 50 stolen bases, 49 homers
- Ohtani eyes MLB history after surpassing 50 stolen bases
- Barca downed by Monaco as Arsenal held in Champions League stalemate
- Head's 'good night at office' after century seals win over England
- Dubois seeks legitimacy with Joshua scalp
- Rate cut could lift consumer spirits before US elections
- Last-gasp Gimenez strike sends Atletico past Leipzig
- Barca stumble at Monaco after early red card
- Raya heroics save Arsenal in Champions League opener at Atalanta
- Cathay Airbus engine fire linked to cleaning: EU regulator
- Guardians beat Twins to secure MLB playoff berth
- Jihadist attack in Mali capital killed more than 70: security sources
- Alonso hails 'efficient' Leverkusen after Feyenoord rout
- Head's hundred seals Australia win over England in 1st ODI
- Ex-Man United striker Anthony Martial joins AEK Athens
- NFL unbeatens meet as Texans visit Vikings, Steelers host Chargers
- Head's hundred seals Australia win over England in 1st ODI after Labuschagne strikes
- Dream debut for Wirtz as Leverkusen thump dire Feyenoord
- Myanmar flood death toll climbs to 293: state media
- Israel army says West Bank air strike kills 4 militants
- LIV golfers get green light for US Ryder Cup team, PGA Championship
- US accuses social media giants of 'vast surveillance'
- Ten Hag to bed Hojlund, Mount in carefully when they return for Man Utd
- Breaking bad as McIlroy endures 'weird' day
- EU chief announces $11 bn for nations hit by 'heartbreaking' floods
- Spanish PM, Palestinian leader urge Mideast de-escalation
- New study reinforces theory Covid emerged at Chinese market
- World Bank boosts climate financing by 10 percent
- Bagnaia eyeing summit on home ground in 100th MotoGP
- 'Something was wrong', defendant in French mass rape tells court
- Hezbollah chief admits 'unprecedented' blow in device blasts
- Sales of US existing homes slip slightly in August
- Fear, panic haunt Lebanese after devices explode
- Labuschagne sparks Australia fightback in England ODI opener
- S.Africa's HIV research power couple says fight goes on
- Why is Israel focusing on border with Lebanon?
- Mpox vaccines administered in Rwanda, first in Africa
- US Fed rate cut is 'very positive sign' for economy: Yellen
- Unknown Mozart string trio discovered in Germany
- 'Are we five-year-olds?' F1 drivers won't mind their language
- Brazil judge orders X to reimpose block or face hefty fine
- Munich to rename stadium street after Beckenbauer
- Champions Italy to face Argentina in Davis Cup Final 8
- The winding, fitful path to weight loss drug Ozempic
- Italians defeat American Magic to reach Louis Vuitton Cup final
- Norris has 'nothing to lose' as he hunts Verstappen in Singapore
- Kyiv 'outraged' at Swiss showing of Russian war film
- French city renames Abbe Pierre square after abuse claims
- Footballer charged after huge cannabis seizure at UK airport
- Vatican recognises Medjugorje shrine, but not Virgin's messages
Kyiv 'outraged' at Swiss showing of Russian war film
The controversial documentary "Russians at War" will be shown at the Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) next month despite harsh criticism from Kyiv, the event's director said Thursday.
The documentary has sparked outrage since it was first shown at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month, with some calling it a pro-Kremlin film that seeks to whitewash and justify Moscow's assault on its neighbour.
Ukraine added Russian-Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova, who directed the documentary, to a national security blacklist on Monday, saying it spread "Russian propaganda" about Moscow's invasion.
The documentary was listed on the programme for the Swiss festival, which was sent out to media on Thursday, as a film portraying "Russian frontline soldiers in Ukraine (dealing) with the fragility of democracy".
The ZFF acknowledged Thursday that the film had already "made waves", and said it had received "protest letters".
"We can understand that the film evokes strong emotions in Ukrainians, but we will maintain its projection, because we consider that 'Russians at War' is an anti-war film," it said in a newsletter.
Like the 2022 German film "All Quiet on the Western Front", which won four Oscars for its depiction of the horrors of World War I, ZFF said the documentary "shows how young soldiers mostly are reduced to pulp".
ZFF director Christian Jungen told reporters Thursday that it was understandable that "Ukrainians are unhappy".
But he insisted that "films should incite discussion", adding that he considered the documentary an "anti-war film", according to the Keyston-ATS news agency.
- 'Propaganda' -
A spokesman for the Ukrainian foreign ministry warned the ZFF organisers Thursday that they risked ruining the festival's reputation by going ahead with the screening.
"This is a propaganda film that whitewashes war crimes, not a documentary," Georgiy Tykhyi said on X, formerly Twitter.
"Real Russians at war are invaders, war criminals, and rapists. Covering them up makes you complicit."
Before those comments, the Ukrainian foreign ministry had already said on X on Wednesday that it was "outraged" by the ZFF decision.
According to Trofimova's website, she has previously made documentaries in Syria, Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo that have been broadcast on Russia's state-run RT television, which has been hit by sanctions from the European Union and the United States.
Jungen acknowledged that the director was "not unproblematic", stressing that the "Russians at War" documentary would be discussed at a roundtable event during the festival.
A number of stars are set to attend the ZFF, which runs from October 3 to 13, including Kate Winslet, Richard Gere and Jude Law.
P.Martin--AMWN