The screening of 20 Days in Mariupol was canceled in Serbia: "anti-Russian propaganda" was found in the film. Details of the scandal

The Serbian city of Lazarevac canceled the screening of the documentary 20 Days in Mariupol because of alleged "anti-Russian propaganda." A radical party in Serbia filed a lawsuit against the Lazarevac municipal committee for the ban.

This was reported by the Serbian portal BCS Happy Portal. The politicians called for the film's promotion to be stopped on the territory of the state, as it contradicts Serbia's official policy on the war in Ukraine.

The documentary by war correspondent, writer and videographer Mstislav Chernov, created with the support of the Associated Press and Frontline, tells how Mariupol suffered during the first weeks of the full-scale Russian invasion.

The screening was scheduled to take place at the Contemporary Gallery of the Lazarevac Cultural Center, and was supposed to be free for everyone. However, Serbian radicals questioned the funding of "this anti-Russian propaganda film of the Kyiv regime." The party's press release states that the official position of the Republic of Serbia is "neutrality" regarding the so-called "Russian special operation in Ukraine."

Representatives of the Serbian radical party support Russia, citing the position of their citizens: it is noted that more than 80 percent of Serbs have a similar opinion. As a result, it is written that such an action is unacceptable, because it is "a provocation of the Serbian people and a failed attempt by the West to change the attitude towards brotherly Russia."

The film's director, Mstislav Chernov, commented to Gordon on the statement. The journalist said that the team took the news of the screening's cancellation with regret. "Our goal has always been and will continue to be to do everything we can to make sure that the world sees and remembers the tragedies of people who lost their families, their city and their lives during the siege of Mariupol," he said.

The organizers of the Beldocs festival, which was to screen 20 Days in Mariupol, published an appeal in which they wrote that they were not involved in the ban. "Beldocs is not behind this decision and did not participate in it. We believe that every screening of this film in front of a Serbian audience is important, and we will make every effort to show this film again as soon as possible," the statement reads.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA wrote about the plot of the documentary "20 Days in Mariupol". This film will represent Ukraine at the Oscars in 2024.

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