EXCLUSIVE:TheEuropean Producers Club(EPC) has voiced its support for Ukrainian producerAlexander Rodnyansky, after a Russian court sentenced him in absentia last week to eight-and-a-half years in prison.
The sentence was related to charges of spreading fake news aboutRussias war in Ukraine, after the producer posted on social media against Russian missile attacks on a maternity hospital in Mariupol and andother civilian targets in Kyiv, Dnieper and Zaporozhye in the early days of the 2022 invasion.
Paris-based body EPC which gathers 160 top independent producers in Europe including Rodnyansky said its members were deeply troubled by the sentence.
Alexander RodnyanskyGetty Images
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Alexander embodies the very essence of what it means to be an independent producer: a champion of creative diversity and an advocate for art as a platform to explore differing perspectives on society.
The harshness of the sentence imposed upon him underscores the importance of his role in this capacity, it said in a statement.
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The organization praised Rodnyanskys 30-year career spanning some 80 credits including Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsevs Oscar-nominated AndreyLeviathan(2014) andLoveless(2016).
His work has garnered and was nominated for some of the most prestigious awards worldwide, including the Oscar, Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix, Frances Cesar and the Golden Globe Awards, said the EPC, noting the producer is also a member of AMPAS.
Through his dedication, Alexander has consistently upheld the right of creators to express their views, even when those views are controversial, thereby enriching the diversity of opinions and ideas essential to democratic societies.
EPC noted Rodnyanskys defiant response to the sentence in which he stated: I will continue to speak the truth and made an appeal for all independent producers to be protected.
As an organization, the EPC condemns this unjust sentence and urges the media, along with the global film community, to unite against this disgraceful verdict, concluded the statement
Rodnyansky, who was born in Kyiv but spent much of his career working in Russia, fled the country shortly after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Prior to the war in Ukraine, hia productions regularly represented Russia in the Best International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards, includingLeviathan(2014) andLoveless(2017) and most recentlyBeanpole(2019) andUnclenching The Fists(2021).
The producers current slate includes Laszlo Nemes long-awaited new pictureOrphan, which is post-production, and Amy Adams- and Murray Bartlett-starrerAt the Sea, from Kornel Mundruczo.
Other recent credits include Israeli director Dani RosenbergsOf Dogs and Men
