Director Konchalovsky declared the creation of a negative image of Russians in the West

On May 16, Russian director, screenwriter and producer Egor Konchalovsky spoke in an interview with Izvestia about the impact of the political situation on culture, anti-Russian propaganda in Western cinema and attempts to abolish Russian culture.

Konchalovsky noted that politics and culture have historically been closely linked, and cinema has often become an instrument of ideological influence. In his opinion, artists and representatives of the film industry can react to current events and create works reflecting the current situation. The director also drew attention to films made during the Great Patriotic War, which supported society even before the end of hostilities.

"You can make great works of art. That's how we remember films were already shot during the Great Patriotic War. And films have already been shot in which we won before we won the war, and this greatly supported the people, how many songs were written by the immortals," he said.

Konchalovsky emphasized that cinema remains one of the most accessible and influential forms of art, especially in the era of digital content and smartphones. He also drew attention to the fact that over the years, the image of Russians as rude, dangerous and cruel people has been forming in Western culture. In his opinion, this attitude is related to the perception of Russia as a separate civilization and an alternative to the Western world.

In addition, the director expressed the opinion that attempts to limit Russian culture, on the contrary, increase interest in it abroad. As an example, he cited performances by Russian artists in Japan and noted that culture cannot be completely banned.

Konchalovsky also touched upon the topic of patriotic cinema and said that he sees no problem in making films dedicated to Donbass and the special military operation. He said that he had visited Donbass several times, and this experience, according to him, had a serious impact on his worldview.

The director added that Western film festivals, in his opinion, have lost a lot due to the lack of Russian films. At the same time, he expressed confidence that the current situation would change over time.

For more information, see the program "Izvestia. The main thing" on Channel Five on May 16.

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