Tallinn Dark Nights Film Festival Russian director dismissed Boris Courage‘ “Deaf LoversStanding with Ukraine was removed from its program following “serious backlash”, according to festival director Tiina Lokk.

In his statement, Lokk said that the Estonian-Serbian co-production, which will have its world premiere in Tallinn’s official competition, has received negative reactions from both Ukrainians and Russians, although no one has objected to watching the film yet. On Tuesday, the Ukrainian State Film Agency called on Tallinn to withdraw the film in its entirety, but Lokk’s letter indicates that ‘Blind Lovers’ will continue to be shown in the Official Selection Competition.

A social media post from the Ukrainian organization on Tuesday read: “Given Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the suffering of so many Ukrainians, it is of great importance to ensure that cultural platforms do not become vehicles for films that blur Ukraine’s borders. Understanding the reality of Ukrainians.”

“Deaf Lovers” tells the modern-day story of a Ukrainian woman and a Russian man who meet in Istanbul and start a penniless holiday romance. Both, as the title suggests, are also deaf and anxious about the future that awaits them at home.

Lokk says his team can confirm that the Russian Federation was not involved in the production of the film and that the film’s author, Boris Guts, left Russia after the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine and lived as a refugee in Europe. He also points out that Guts is an outspoken critic of the current Russian regime and its activities in Ukraine.

As an organization, Tallinn has been supporting Ukrainian film production since Russia invaded the country in 2022, and this year its program includes eight Ukrainian-produced or co-produced films. Tallinn has refused to screen Russian and Belarusian state-financed films since 2022, and in the same year brought to the Cannes festival a group of five Ukrainian projects suspended due to the occupation.

Read the full letter from Tallinn director Tiina Lokk and her team below.

Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) has always approached the country of Ukraine with great respect and sympathy. Our festival team has always been with Ukrainians fighting for independence. We organized charity auctions for Ukraine at the HÕFF festival three years in a row. We have stopped the screening of films financed by the Russian and Belarusian state as of 2022. We were the first to pave the way for Ukrainian film projects that were suspended due to the war by exhibiting them at the world’s largest film festival, Cannes. Going international.

Ukrainian films became an important part of our festival program. PÖFF 2024 is no exception. Our program includes eight Ukrainian-made or co-produced films, as well as Ukrainian-themed films.

One of them is the movie Deaf Lovers, which caused serious reactions not only among Ukrainians but also among Russians, although no one has seen it yet.

We confirm that the film is not financed by the Russian Federation. Moreover, its author, Boris Guts, left Russia after the outbreak of a large-scale war and currently lives as a refugee in different European countries, including Serbia. He has repeatedly spoken out against Russia’s war against Ukraine and the Putin regime.

Guts’ previous film, about the tragic events in Belarus after the 2020 presidential elections, was shot in Minsk, Estonia. It was supported by the Estonian Film Institute and the Estonian Cultural Foundation. It was banned in Minsk, Belarus and Russia and was shown at nearly 20 international film festivals, including PÖFF in 2022. Boris Guts’ newest film, Deaf Lovers, is a 100% independent film shot with his own money and a minimal budget. The film was shot in Istanbul with an international team. The film, to which Estonian writers also contributed, is co-produced by Estonian studio Max-Grip.

PÖFF has always supported independent voices and kept the door open to all filmmakers whose films represent democratic values. This year’s edition features Israeli and Palestinian films side by side. PÖFF also screened films by dissident Russian and Belarusian filmmakers, who always lived in exile and represented values ​​different from the official doctrine of their home countries. The same goes for Georgian dissident filmmakers who are fighting against increasing censorship in their country.

We removed Deaf Lovers from our Our Situation in Ukraine program; It’s the only right thing to do in the heat of the moment. The film will be screened in the Official Selection Competition as planned. We continue to believe that this is an artistically powerful anti-war work that achieves figurative language. The film tells the story of a Ukrainian girl and a Russian boy who meet in Istanbul. At first there is sympathy between them, but the war in Ukraine brings conflict into their lives and escalates to violence against the girl. The girl does not accept violence; She is independent and leaves the boy. The film concludes that in a war situation, love between a Ukrainian girl and a Russian boy becomes impossible. As the girl says at the end of the movie, “Maybe only after 100 years.” Here we can see the metaphor of Ukraine’s separation from the violent Russian Empire.

Last but not least, the film also provides valuable polemical material on other very topical issues: who is the exiled Russian director, what is his identity, and how the film can be used for propaganda purposes.

We invite you to the cinema and look forward to a nice discussion afterwards. Remember that while freedom of expression is important, respecting others is also important. We avoid slander in our discussions and comply with the law. If anyone violates these rules, PÖFF organizers are ready to take action to protect everyone’s rights.

On behalf of the PÖFF team,

Tiina Lokk, Festival Director